In this section, you can find more information about courses, academic policies, and other important information to help with your academic success at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is known for its small, discussions based class sizes, a low student to faculty ratio (8:1), and top tier academics. Professors encourage participation, many know your names, and have open office hours in which students can visit and ask questions.
Areas of Study Course Registration & Restrictions Credit Transfer & Transcripts Policies
Areas of Study
Notre Dame is renowned for its undergraduate education and is ranked among the top institutions in the U.S. Characteristic of the excellent and holistic education at Notre Dame are its core requirements that provide a valuable undergraduate experience through an interdisciplinary education. This means that all Notre Dame students take a set of courses across various departments, especially in the College of Arts and Letters, that constitute an integral part of the typical Notre Dame academic experience.
As a visiting international student, you are encouraged to take advantage of all the excellent courses offered at Notre Dame, especially those outside of your major. Taking courses that are required of Notre Dame undergraduate students of all majors is reflective of what it is truly like to get a Notre Dame education. This will give you a more holistic and true Notre Dame experience. We advise students to widen their scope of learning while they are here and take a variety of classes that they may be unable to take at their home institution. Students in the past have branched out from their degrees to take classes in Global Affairs, Philosophy, Foreign Language, and Studio Art.
The College of Arts & Letters was the first academic department created at the university and has a variety of disciplines. A leading Catholic University, both nationally and internationally, Notre Dame is ranked as the top institution for religious studies in the United States. In addition, other majors in the College of Arts & Letters are consistently ranked in the top 20 nation-wide including Performing Arts, Psychology, Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics. Popular classes include: Cultural Anthropology, Modern Philosophy, International Trade, Political Science and Ceramics. Notre Dame is also top ranked for its Drama & Theatre Arts major. Study film, television and theater, or get involved in a production through acting or writing.
The College of Engineering is listed as the 7th best in the country. Engineering students choose from Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer Science. There are ample research opportunities for students within these departments and students are able to get hands-on experience in one of the state-of-the-art laboratories.
The College of Science offers a variety of disciplines including Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, and Neuroscience and Behavior. The Physics program is highly ranked, being one of the top 20 undergraduate programs for Physics in the country. Popular majors for visiting international students also include Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS) and the Statistics program.
Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business is ranked no. 5 in the country. Visiting international students are limited in taking classes in this school, however students in the past have taken classes such as Economics, International Marketing, Finance.
The Keough School of Global Affairs is the newest faculty at Notre Dame and offers a supplementary major in Global Affairs whose courses are also available to international students. The school focuses on training ethical leaders with an emphasis on integral human development - supporting the university’s mission of educating mind, body, and spirit and being a force for good in the world.
Course Registration
To register for classes as a visiting international student, students should work with their current home institution's academic adviser to make sure the classes will fulfill their necessary credits. You will register for classes on a specific date before the semester begins. Some students may be able to fill the 12 credit minimum requirements, and some students may need to wait until they arrive on campus to visit professors and departments to get verified approval for courses. Students will be able to add and drop courses during the first week of the semester.
More information regarding the course registration process will be available to you after admission to the program. If you have any questions or run into problems during the process, please contact the global programs team at globalprograms@nd.edu, who will advise you at Notre Dame International.
How to Find Academic Modules
To view course offerings and the academic calendar at Notre Dame, please visit the website of the Office of the Registrar. Students can browse classes through the online class search tool and also see the summary of listings taught by each academic department per semester. We recommend that students search the course catalog first, before attempting to email professors.
PLEASE NOTE: Syllabi can only be provided by an instructor or department and are typically not given to students until the first day of class. For special considerations, please email your instructor or department.
Course Restrictions
- All incoming short-term semester students are required to register for a minimum of 12 credit hours. Enrollment into any one particular course is not guaranteed and is subject to prerequisites, restrictions, and availability.
- Law School classes are not available for undergraduate exchange/visiting students.
- Graduate level courses (courses numbered 50000+) are not available to undergraduate exchange/visiting students.
- Courses in the Mendoza College of Business are not available unless you are a business major. Business majors are allowed to take a maximum of one course (3 credit hours) at Mendoza. You are encouraged to explore other courses outside of the business school that are relevant to your business education. For example, Economics is part of the College of Arts & Letters. You are allowed to enroll in ECON courses if you meet the prerequisites. Other options may be found in the following departments: Statistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, etc.
- Courses in the following disciplines within the College of Engineering are limited for exchange/visiting students: Aero/Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering.
- Architecture students click here for more information on school specific restrictions.
Carefully consider the restrictions outlined above and plan ahead. Students are advised to have a list of alternative options available to ensure full-time enrollment.
Credit Transfer and Transcripts
You can take between 12-17 credits at Notre Dame that can transfer back to your home institution. Credit transfer policies are specific to each student and their home institution. Thus, you should work with your major department and home institution prior to coming to Notre Dame to ensure that the credits you earned at ND will transfer back.
You can order your transcripts on the Office of the Registrar website at the end of each semester. You should do so before you leave campus. You may pick up your transcript in person once grades are published (if you are still in town) or choose to send it to your home or university address.
If you do not order your transcript before your departure, you will have to order through the Former Student Transcript Request form since your NDID and NetID will be deactivated. An additional fee will be charged to you, since you will no longer be an ND student.
PLEASE NOTE: OUR OFFICE IS UNABLE TO REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS ON STUDENTS’ BEHALF!
Policies
Academic Honor Code
As a visiting international student, you are subject to the governance of the University of Notre Dame and are required to comply with all rules and regulations pertaining to undergraduate students at ND including the Academic Honor Code.
Course Enrollment
You must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester to maintain full-time student status as well as your immigration status as a student. The maximum number of credits that can be taken varies between 17 and 18 credit hours. You are required to meet all obligations of any course that you are enrolled in while studying at Notre Dame.
Refund Policy
As a full-time student at the University of Notre Dame, you are subject to the University’s official refund policies in case of separation. For more information visit the Student Accounts website.