This is Notre Dame

Discover what makes us uniquely Notre Dame: the moments we share, the values we carry, and the legacy we continue to build together.

A young woman lights a candle at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, surrounded by many flickering lights and other visitors.

The University of Notre Dame is a community of student-scholars united by the pursuit of knowledge that can aid in human flourishing. We are rooted in a deep sense of purpose and compelled forward by a timeless mission. Our faith roots us in purpose, our drive to innovate compels us forward.

Generations of Domers made the Notre Dame of today. Their contributions gave shape to this place through the hard work that’s evident in every facet of the University: how we study, how we compete, how we live in community with one another.

Tradition

Love Thee, Notre Dame

Golden Dome of Notre Dame Main Building bathed in golden light, framed by yellow brick walls and Gothic windows.

Notre Dame History

Notre Dame’s proud athletics tradition

Video

The New Home of Notre Dame Football

Take a first look inside the new Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall with this aerial drone tour as Notre Dame Football officially moves into its new operational home ahead of the 2026 season.

Aerial view of Notre Dame's Loftus Sports Center, LaBar Practice Complex, Golden Dome, and Hesburgh Library at dusk.

Notre Dame’s legacy of discovery

Research worth fighting for

As America's leading Catholic research university, Notre Dame has long been at the forefront of finding answers to the most pressing questions facing our communities.

A student wearing safety glasses and blue gloves uses a scientific instrument emitting a purple plasma beam.
  • Looking up view of the wire hanging from the window of the basilica.

    Article

    Words fly through air

    Notre Dame marks the 125th anniversary of the first known wireless transmission in the United States

  • A contrail from an airplane stretches across a blue sky with white clouds.

    Article

    Super speed

    Notre Dame is building country’s largest quiet hypersonic wind tunnel

Stories that define us

  1. A close-up of a gold chalice with 'UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME' engraved around the middle and a variety of colorful gems.

    Podcast

    The Great Crown Caper

    22 minutes

    Tour guides have been answering questions about it for years. There's a large gold crown in a case, situated by the elevators in Notre Dame's Main Building (aka, the "Golden Dome"). A plaque inside the case offers some explanation, but there's much more to know. Turns out, this crown may not…

  2. A stone bust of G.K. Chesterton looking slightly down and to the side. The letters 'G.K.C.' are carved into the front.

    Podcast

    G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

    16 minutes

    In this episode, we look at the relationship between the great Catholic intellectual, G.K. Chesterton, and the University of Notre Dame. Chesterton spent a semester on campus in 1930, lending his intellectual prowess and good humor to the Notre Dame community. Today, a collection of his personal belongings…

  3. Edge of a wooden pew and the floor marker for Orestes A. Brownson in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.

    Article

    Here lies Orestes A. Brownson

    But why here?

  4. A man holds up a document with handwritten cursive text, partially obscuring his face.

    Article

    Found in translation

    In 50 years of overlooked letters, French class discovers new insights into Father Sorin and the early days of Notre Dame

  5. A Notre Dame coat of arms carved into stone with the motto ‘God, Country, Notre Dame’ is illuminated by a decorative lantern.

    Article

    Red, white, and blue and gold

    How Notre Dame honors America, past and present

  6. A historical collage of various American presidents and political figures with a dome and red, white, and blue stripes.

    Article

    Hail to the Chief

    Notre Dame's long history with the nation’s highest public office

  7. Notre Dame Trail: Join us for the final day. Saturday, August 26, 2017

    Website

    The Notre Dame Trail

    In the tradition of Father Sorin’s inspirational journey and intrepid spirit we retraced his journey from Vincennes to Notre Dame.

  8. Two old black-and-white photos and a small postcard lie on a wooden surface.

    Article

    A temporary tribe

    Vetville memories reveal how communities thrive

  9. A stone carving above a doorway with the words, ‘God, Country, Notre Dame&rsquoi; flanked by two eagle-like figures.

    Article

    God, country, Notre Dame

    The University’s long, close history with military service

  10. Father Hesburgh looks out the window of his office at Notre Dame campus

    Website

    Rev Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C

    Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., was president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987. He increased the stature and size of the university, and greatly influenced the areas of civil rights and higher education in the United States.

Discover and engage
  1. A person wearing green leggings and white sneakers lying in a teal hammock and reading a book on campus.

    Photo Essay

    How was your summer?

    The month in photos, summer break edition

  2. A close-up portrait of an older woman with grey hair and black-rimmed glasses wearing a red shirt, looking thoughtfully past the camera with a neutral expression.

    Article

    Protecting renters from predatory landlords

    At Notre Dame Law School, the Eviction Clinic gives students real-world experience.

  3. Golden statue of Mary with an outstretched arm atop Notre Dame's Main Building dome under a crescent moon and star.

    Photo Essay

    Hey, May

    The month in photos, May 2026

  4. Focused woman in beige jacket, glasses, and headset, looking up while using a computer mouse. Man works at nearby station.

    Podcast

    Inside Artemis II mission control

    For seven hours, Notre Dame alumna Kelsey Young ’09 sat in NASA mission control, listening as astronauts described the Moon in real time from a vantage point no human had ever experienced before.

  5. Hesburgh Library's Word of Life mosaic under a blue sky, framed by vibrant purple tulips and a blossoming yellow tree.

    Photo Essay

    Spring at last!

    The month in photos, April 2026

  6. A woman in a navy blue shirt helps a young girl wearing glasses assemble wooden craft pieces.

    Article

    25 years of impact in South Bend

    The Robinson Community Learning Center stands as a lasting symbol of trust, partnership, and shared purpose between Notre Dame and its closest neighbors.

  7. The bronze sculpture Desert Rose by Arnaldo Pomodoro is placed at the center of the ecological greenhouse at the Gardens of Castel Gandolfo. The curved glass structure—covered with solar panels—frames the work within a light-filled, sustainable environment. Stone pathways and carefully trimmed hedges unfold beneath a canopy of Mediterranean pines.

    Article

    Sowing seeds of hope: Vatican partnership advances global sustainability

    The collaboration supports research, education, and action to build a more just, sustainable future.

  8. Broadly smiling woman with dark hair in a navy jacket with gold buttons, arms crossed, in front of bookshelves.

    Podcast

    What happened to the American family?

    The American family has changed dramatically over the past four decades, raising urgent questions about marriage, economic stability, and child well-being.

  9. Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus, two lit candles, surrounded by worn black and brown shoes and scattered red tokens on wood.

    Article

    A saint of our own?

    The humble piety of Notre Dame cobbler Brother Columba inspires a canonization push.