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University of Notre Dame Law School

Published February 2008, last updated April 2011

The University of Notre Dame’s reputation and aura are matched by few American universities. Sometimes likened to the Harvard of Catholic America, the university boasts serious academics flavored by a deep commitment to its founding principles. Despite recent troubles, the Fighting Irish football team’s mythology—from Knute Rockne to Rudy Ruettiger—has no parallel, and famous athletes like Joe Montana and Jerome Bettis contribute to one of the country’s most rabid fan bases. Notre Dame Law School embraces this rich tradition with the mission to “Educate a Different Kind of Lawyer.”
 

Admissions

Nearly across the board, law schools have seen a jump in the number of applications, and have raised standards as a result. Although first-time LSAT registration numbers indicate that this trend may have peaked for the moment, gaining admission to Notre Dame Law School is more competitive now than ever before. The Class of 2013, formed from over 4,000 applications, features a median LSAT score of 167, a 1-point increase from the previous entering class. While far and away the most important individual factors in an application, LSAT and GPA do not tell the entire story, as indicated by the stats of many waitlisted candidates (see Notre Dame’s Law School Numbers graph).

Admissions Process

Notre Dame Law School processes applications on a rolling basis, meaning that applications may be reviewed for the first time soon after submission and that decisions may come in a matter of weeks or take several months. The school urges candidates to apply as early as possible, which is logical since more offers of admission (and scholarship money) will be available early in the “cycle.” 

Applicants must register with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) and sign up for the organization’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS), which compiles LSAT scores, transcripts, and other necessary documents for use by admissions committees. A complete file includes a simple application form available through LSAC, official transcripts from undergraduate and any graduate work, a personal statement, a resume, an LSAT score, and two letters of recommendation. Transcripts and letters of recommendation must be filed through CAS. An application fee of $65 may be waived in cases of extreme financial need or on grounds of merit (i.e., a high LSAT score and/or GPA as reported by the LSAC Candidate Referral Service).

While LSAT and GPA rule the roost in the rankings-obsessed world of competitive law schools, Notre Dame has a credible claim to seeking more in their applicants. The university’s still-vibrant Catholic heritage and commitment to ethical public service are reflected in the NDLS admissions process, and TLS users claim that the law school maintains a more holistic review than most of its peers.

Personal Statements, Optional Essays, and Addenda

Notre Dame’s personal statement requirement is typical among law schools: the essay should be no more than two double-spaced pages, and should speak to important aspects of a candidate’s life experiences and personality not elsewhere covered in the application. The school’s instructions add, “It is helpful if your personal statement addresses why you are interested in the study of law.”[ii]

In addition to the personal statement, applicants may submit an essay on their desire to attend Notre Dame Law School in particular. Several NDLS students who post on TLS have stressed the importance of this “Why Notre Dame?” essay, saying that it can “make a big difference” for marginal candidates. If applicants feel the need to address anything not included in the application form, personal statement, or “Why Notre Dame?” essay—such as reasons for a sub-par LSAT score or GPA—they may do so in addenda. NDLS also accepts diversity statements, as it wants to build well-rounded class of complementary backgrounds and experiences.

Letters of Recommendation

NDLS requires two recommendations submitted through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service. The school prefers that at least one letter come from a professor who knows the candidate’s aptitude well, but realizes that this may not be realistic for applicants who have been out of college or graduate study for many years; letters from employers can be substituted if necessary.

Binding Early Decision

NDLS offers a binding Early Decision Program for applicants with a high degree of confidence that Notre Dame is the best law school for them. “ED” candidates must submit their applications by November 1^st, and go “complete” by November 10. The admissions committee guarantees a decision by December 15^th for anyone who meets these deadlines. Conventional wisdom holds that applying Early Decision gives a slight boost to on-the-border applications, since it demonstrates a sincere interest in the school. This may be especially true at NDLS, with its strong commitment to a set of guiding principles. However, no one should submit an ED application without serious thought, since doing so amounts to a commitment to withdraw all other applications upon admission. Applying Early Decision may also reduce an applicant’s chances at merit-based scholarships, so candidates with financial concerns (read: the vast majority of law school applicants) should think carefully about debt loads before deciding to apply to the Early Decision Program.

Transfers, Waitlists, and Deferrals

Notre Dame Law School accepts a small number of transfer students each year (a dozen or so is typical). Though transfer candidates apply after completing their 1L years at another American Bar Association-approved law school, the process is much the same. Like 0Ls, most transfer candidates submit their applications through LSAC and include undergraduate record and a full CAS report. The most heavily weighed factors differ, however: first-year law school grades and letters of recommendation written by law professors count the most. All materials must be received by July 15. Transfer applicants who want to “write on” to a journal must submit a time-consuming application by late May, before they have an admissions decision.[iii]

A significant portion of each NDLS class is admitted off of the waitlist. Maintaining contact with the admissions committee and expressing a continued interest in the law school may help waitlisted candidates improve their chances of eventual admission.

The law school grants one-year deferrals to admitted candidates “who encounter unforeseen opportunities or circumstances.” Requests for such deferrals must be submitted in writing, and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To hold their seats, deferred admits must put down a $400 fee in addition to the standard $500 seat deposit.[iv]

Costs, Scholarships and Financial Aid

The rapid increase of law school tuition has been well-documented, and NDLS has not been immune to the cost disease. Tuition and mandatory fees for the 2011-2012 school year top $43,000, on par with several “Top-14” law schools and just a few thousand dollars short of the most expensive schools like Yale and Columbia. The inexpensive South Bend area mitigates ballooning student budgets, however: the school’s $60,985 Cost of Attendance estimate falls well below that of many urban law schools, some of which run students more than $70,000 a year including living expenses.

Fortunately, Notre Dame is fairly generous with scholarships. “Domers” (students who attend Notre Dame) on TLS seem to feel that the solid majority of their classes are getting some sort of scholarship, and ABA data support that feeling: for the 2008-2009 school year, 78.7% of the class received grant assistance, with a median grant amount of $13,000. Very large scholarships were relatively scarce, as 81% of grant recipients got less than half-tuition.[v] All applicants are automatically considered for merit aid, which is based on the same criteria as admissions decisions. Candidates who wish to apply for limited need-based aid must fill out an optional financial information form.

Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Since 2001, Notre Dame Law School has maintained a modest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to ease legal education’s financial burden for graduates pursuing employment in the public interest. The Law School stresses that LRAP funding is limited and varies from year to year, so that meeting eligibility requirements (or even receiving assistance in previous years) is no guarantee of aid. Recent graduates who make less than $54,000 and work in the public interest are eligible, although NDLS reserves the right to disqualify jobs that conflict with teachings of the Catholic Church. The Law School issues new loans to cover the payments of participating graduates; these loans are then forgiven at a rate of 33% a year—hence, a year’s LRAP loan is fully forgiven after three years of qualifying employment. Participants making less than $34,000 have all of their loan payments covered, with coverage decreasing by 10% for each additional $2,000 of income (e.g., an applicant making $44,000 will have half of their loans covered). Graduates may participate in LRAP for a maximum of five years. More information on Notre Dame’s LRAP can be found on the school’s website, or on the TLS LRAP Profile.

Because of its limited funding, lack of certainty, and short window of eligibility, candidates should be wary of counting on assistance from the Notre Dame LRAP. For those whose public interest careers make repaying loans on a standard schedule unmanageable, federal Income Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs and/or extended repayment plans represent more reliable ways to minimize monthly payments and service debt on relatively low salaries.

Student Body

Notre Dame affiliates are famously loyal to the university, and NDLS students report a high degree of cohesion among classmates. The university is not so famous for its diversity, and while the law school exhibits more variety along religious, ethnic, and political dimensions than does the undergraduate college, Catholics still make up a large portion of the law school: 64% in the Class of 2012, for example.[vi] Still, the law school has made an effort to increase diversity in recent years, and minorities make up one-third of the most recent entering class.

Religion and Politics

Some non-Catholics, atheists, and agnostics are apprehensive about attending the nation’s most famously Catholic university. While the proportions of Catholic students and faculty have declined in recent decades, Notre Dame still stresses its religious roots and mission. Social politics in line with Catholic doctrine are also prominent. But according to NDLS students on TLS, non-Catholics need not fear being isolated or ostracized. One “Double Domer” (someone who attended Notre Dame for undergrad and law school) who is “not religious at all” reports:

Religion doesn't play a role at all in the first year courses, except that some professors do the sign of the cross before class and there is a crucifix in every classroom….I’ve been here for four years and I’ve never had a problem with the religious environment. I think it makes us distinctive, which I actually like despite the fact I've never really participated in it. I don't believe the religious aspect should be a huge part of the decision making process, unless it is positive for you.[vii]

Another student advises potential worriers:

For virtually all non-Catholics at Notre Dame, it's never been an issue. You let the 10-second prayer at the start of a few professors' class roll past. You won't even know when or where weekly mass is. You will never set foot in the chapel in the law school. You just live your life and accept that there might be people of faith taking their faith seriously around you.[viii]

Still another, addressing the political side of things, writes:

You'd actually be surprised at the range of views and events they have—a month or so ago, they had LGBT awareness week at the law school with speakers all week, which was extremely well-attended, [including] a con law professor talking about gay marriage and the first openly gay judge in Illinois talking about his experiences (and openly criticizing the Catholic Church and its stance on homosexuality to boot). I've had one professor who prayed before one class, but it was a small seminar class and the only class he prayed before was the last class of the semester, which he had at his house as a semi-Christmas party/discussion. Don't worry; there are definitely people who think like you.[ix]

To be sure, Catholicism is a constant part of life at NDLS, and law school candidates who are particularly uncomfortable with public displays of religiosity may want to look elsewhere. But on the whole, non-Catholics should not write off Notre Dame if it is a good fit along most dimensions.

Academics

Curriculum

Notre Dame Law School’s highly structured first-year program holds few surprises: 1Ls take Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Criminal Law in their first semesters, with Constitutional Law, Property, and Torts rounding out the traditional doctrinal classes in the second semester. 1Ls also take Legal Writing (two credits in the fall and one credit in the spring) and Legal Research (a one-hour Fall Semester class). Unlike many law schools, which fill the entirety of 1L year with mandatory classes, Notre Dame allows first-years to choose one elective from a list of approved courses. To take some of the pressure off of competing with more experienced students, grades from this first-year elective do not factor into journal consideration. Overall, 1Ls take 31 credit-hours of the 90 required for graduation.

The second and third years at NDLS are markedly freer: Domers enjoy wide latitude to choose courses to complete the remaining 59 J.D. credits, although every student must take Jurisprudence as well as a course that focuses on legal ethics. The school also mandates completion of an upper-level skills course and a writing requirement. These policies represent a slight relaxation of degree requirements for the classes of 2012 and earlier, which had to take Federal Taxation and Business Associations.[x]

Notre Dame Law School issues letter grades on a traditional A (4.0) to F (0.0) scale, and does not issue official class ranks. For the most recent entering class, Fall 1L GPAs averaged 3.226 (upper-division GPAs generally rise as students get more freedom to select their own classes).[xi] According to one student on TLS, the first-year GPA median is usually a bit lower than this, “generally around the 3.14 range.” The same student states that a 3.6 GPA earns Dean’s List honors, putting a student in the top 10% or so of the class.[xii]

Professors

In recent years, Notre Dame has made an effort to improve its law faculty, which had lagged behind many of the schools traditionally considered its peers: although the school has floated around the mid-twenties since the U.S. News and World Report rankings began, Notre Dame’s peer reputation metric has consistently trailed its overall ranking. Moreover, NDLS has never ranked in the top forty of any reputational or scholarly impact survey conducted by alternative rankings guru Brian Leiter.

Still, Notre Dame Law students have high regard for their professors, especially the younger faculty. One TLS poster writes:

I have been nothing but impressed with the faculty and staff thus far. They are doing a fantastic job recruiting top notch professors including Stephen Smith who came to NDLS from UVA...The new Dean, Nell Newton [hired in 2009], is also really warm and seems to be having a positive impact on the school thus far.

Another gushes about newer hires:

Here's a quick rule of thumb: if the professor has come to NDLS in the last 12 years or so, they are almost guaranteed to be an outstanding young tenured or tenure-track prof. If they were there before that, then it's a complete crapshoot. NDLS has, I think, hands down, one of the best junior faculties in the country. [xiii]

According to Leiter, especially prominent NDLS faculty as measured by citations include Margaret Brinig (family Law), John Finnis (Law and Philosophy), and Nicole Stelle Garnett (Property).[xiv] Popular professors mentioned by Notre Dame students on TLS include Fernand Dutile and Jay Tidmarsh, both of whom studied at Notre Dame, and Mary Ellen O’Connell, who teaches Contracts as well as a variety of International Law courses.

Study Abroad

Unique to American law schools, Notre Dame runs a London Law Centre near historic Trafalgar Square. Over two-dozen students a year decide to spend their second years in England, taking both traditional American law classes and courses that focus on comparative and international legal issues. Participants in the Second Year in London program can still work remotely on journals and can participate in On-Campus Interviews before flying overseas. Living in London also presents opportunities to observe the British legal system and extern with British barristers and solicitors, or with the London offices of American law firms. Tuition and fees are the same as in South Bend, although the cost of living in London is much higher. The bottom 20% of the class is not eligible for the program.

Students who want to remain in the U.S. for all three academic years but want a taste of the London experience can spend a month in the Summer Law Program, which confers up to six credits and is open to students at other American law schools. Courses focus on international and comparative topics like European Union Law and Carriage of Goods by Sea.

Dual Degrees

Retaining much of the feel of its liberal arts college roots, Notre Dame does not have the depth of graduate programs of many similarly regarded universities. Still, NDLS students have several opportunities to earn dual degrees. Some choose a four-year J.D./M.B.A with the Mendoza College of Business, which is comparable in prestige to the law school and is especially strong in accounting. Others pursue a J.D./M.A. in English, which can be completed in seven semesters or in three academic years plus some summer classes. Although Notre Dame does not have an individual Engineering Masters program, law students with undergraduate backgrounds in engineering or computer science can earn a J.D./M.Eng. degree that may be attractive to employers in intellectual property law or similar subfields.[xv] Prospective dual degree students should take into account the extra cost and reduction in legal summer opportunities.

LL.M. and J.S.D. Offerings

NDLS confers three advanced degrees focused on international law. The LL.M. in International Human Rights Law, like most LL.M. programs, targets foreign-trained lawyers who want to study and possibly work in the U.S. The degree requires 24 credit-hours, 10 of which are required classes like International Law and Accountability for Gross Human Rights Violations. Each LL.M. candidate must also write a 60-80 page thesis in the Spring semester. Most of these students live in the same apartment complex, and recent graduates can apply for funding to complete human rights-related internships. Tuition for the program is similar to that of J.D. students.

Notre Dame is the only American law school with a graduate program in a different country. The LL.M. in International and Comparative Law, based at Notre Dame’s London Law Centre (described in more detail above), is aimed at European lawyers, especially those who want a grounding in common law systems. Tuition, commensurate with British instead of American graduate programs, is surprisingly affordable, at $12,050 plus an $815 library fee—although potential students should also keep in mind London’s astronomical cost of living.

NDLS also offers a small, research-based J.S.D. program for those who want to seriously pursue international human rights in academia. J.S.D. candidates must spend their first two years at Notre Dame taking classes and writing, but can finish their dissertations elsewhere, if they so choose. Funding, which covers tuition and living costs for the two years of required residency, is only available for one student per year.

Student Activities

Journals

The flagship journal at NDLS is the student-edited Notre Dame Law Review, which publishes five issues per year and has traditionally conferred a valuable resume bump to its editors. Members are selected on 1L grades or writing ability as demonstrated in a special competition; anecdotally, the cut-off for grading on is “about top 10-12 percent,” while another says that the school tries to find a natural demarcation point and that “3.6 or so” is fairly secure. Some students earn their law review spots principally through “writing on.”

Students can also gain editing experience on the Journal of Legislation, a public policy-oriented publication that regularly publishes student notes, and the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, which approaches legal and policy questions from a religious paradigm. Although its editorial board consists mostly of faculty and other professionals from across the country, the Journal of College and University Law utilizes a student staff which edits and contributes notes from time to time. Finally, NDLS publishes the faculty-run American Journal of Jurisprudence, which reflects the law school’s deep concern with theoretical and ethical facets of law.[xvi]

Clinical Education and Externships

Notre Dame’s Legal Aid Clinic, which celebrates its 60^th anniversary in 2011, aims to provide legal services to needy clients in Northwest Indiana while developing students’ legal skills and leadership potential. Participating students can work on misdemeanor criminal trials or disability benefits cases; they can also help protect disadvantaged consumers from predatory lending and fraud. Legal Aid Clinic students also advise on tenant rights, wills and trusts, and legal issues pertaining to mental health. The Clinic is open to upper-division students, who are supervised by faculty members and receive academic credit for their work.[xvii]

Notre Dame Law students can also gain valuable experience while earning credit under a range of externship programs. Some of these opportunities take place during the summer or other academic breaks, while others include classroom components and take place during the school year. These options range from assisting public defenders to working in intercollegiate athletics administration. A full list can be found here.

Moot Court

All NDLS students get a taste of Moot Court when they argue in the school’s Moot Court Appellate Division during their first years; many continue to participate in a variety of moot court opportunities throughout law school. Second-year students who continue to participate in appellate arguments may earn the privilege of representing Notre Dame at national competitions, and may also compete in the Moot Court Showcase Argument, which is sometimes presided over by a member of the Supreme Court. 2Ls and 3Ls are also eligible to compete in the Trial and International divisions, and could end up arguing at prestigious competitions like the National Trial Competition and Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.[xviii]

Student Organizations

In addition to activities like journals and Moot Court, Notre Dame Law students fill their time with membership in about 30 student organizations. Some of these organizations come as little surprise for Notre Dame’s law school (the Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Irish Law Society, and the St. Thomas More Society) while others attest to a surprising diversity of affiliations and interests (the ACLU, the Jewish Law Students Society). Other clubs, such as the Intellectual Property Law Society and the Business Law Forum, attest to career interests. A full list of organizations, as well as information on the Student Bar Association, which governs a wide spectrum of student life, can be found on Notre Dame’s website.

Facilities

Notre Dame Law School recently completed a dramatic expansion and renovation, giving the school 192,000 square feet of modern learning space. Brand-new Eck Hall now houses most classrooms and faculty offices, and connects via a covered walkway and commons space to the original Biolchini Hall, which includes the Kresge Law Library, three classrooms, and a number of multi-purpose study and interview rooms. Biolchini Hall is also home to some administrative offices, career services, and journal offices, and the four-story library holds over 300,000 book volumes in addition to electronic and microfilm resources.

One Domer calls the $60 million renovation “absolutely phenomenal,” gushing about a “state-of-the art” building and mock court room that make for “truly one of the nicest facilities in the country.”[xix] More information on Notre Dame Law’s improved facilities, including video tours, is available here.

Job Prospects

While gleaming facilities, exotic extracurricular activities, and interdisciplinary course offerings fill most pages in glossy admissions brochures, a J.D. is ultimately a professional degree, and job prospects at even well-respected schools have become an increasing concern during the recent years of economic uncertainty. The recession has reduced hiring by big, well-paying law firms at nearly every law school, and Notre Dame has not escaped. One current student notes that “Biglaw” firms have become more selective on grades:

Things are bad right now…The truth is, if you’re aiming for Biglaw, Notre Dame is not as good of a place as it used to be. [In the past], the top third of the class could easily land big Chicago firms or at least big firms in secondary markets, but not anymore. A lot of firms don’t even interview people below the top third of the class.

Another writes that all career paths are becoming more competitive, not just Biglaw:

Public interest is definitely becoming more of a focus, especially with the economy being so bad right now. Keep in mind that the downturn in OCI [On-Campus Interviews by law firms] trickles down to public interest and makes those jobs more difficult to get. A lot of public interest and government groups are getting a flood of resumes from people who can’t find other jobs.

Still another Domer agrees that the employment situation is dire compared to boom times, but stresses that for those who start thinking about their desired career paths early, study hard, and “put in the work to pursue a job…Notre Dame is still a solid place to be.”[xx]

Up-to-date and accurate law school employment data is notoriously hard to come by, but the chart below summarizes self-reported data for the Classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010:

*Article III percentages are also listed as a percentage of the total class – i.e., approximately half of NDLS clerks work for Article III judges.
†8 students “not seeking immediate employment,” 3 “unknown,” and 5 pursuing advanced degrees

Geographic Placement

Perhaps due to a famously loyal and widespread alumni network, Notre Dame’s geographic placement is significantly broader than many similarly-ranked law schools: just 7% of 2008 graduates stayed in Indiana. Chicago, as the nearest major market, is a popular destination, and large numbers of graduates also head to California. The most frequent destinations for the class of 2010 were Illinois (29 graduates), California (22), and New York (20). Nine graduates stayed in Indiana, with an equal number heading to Washington, D.C. The geographic spread of the Class of 2008 is reproduced below to give a greater idea of national reach.

Notre Dame students on TLS warn that the economic downturn may have reduced the number of far-away employers coming to campus to recruit Domers. Says one:

The firms listed [for On-Campus Interviews] seem like they are predominately from the Midwest. There are a few firms from California, New York, and D.C., but it’s definitely Midwest-heavy and there is a [smaller] number than in years past. So it seems like those who get Biglaw are primarily in Chicago.[xxii]

Private Practice

One oft-cited data point for private sector employment is a “Go-To Schools” list published each year by Law.com detailing the percentage of top law schools’ graduating classes hired by National Legal Journal 250 firms. The “NLJ250” consists of the largest American law firms by number of attorneys, so it is not a perfect measure of desirable firm employment: some prestigious, high-paying firms (such as litigation boutiques or many intellectual property-focused shops) are excluded, and many included firms may not pay the top “market” rate or may have extremely high associate turnover rates, demanding billing requirements, or other unsavory aspects. The percentages also do not account for self-selection out of private practice, and do not count graduates headed to Article III clerkships, most of whom will presumably take large firm jobs after their clerkship years.

Still, the list is probably the best available proxy for “Biglaw” placement power. In 2009, Notre Dame placed 28.8% of graduates into NLJ250 firms, 23^rd among law schools nationwide. In 2010, as the economy’s impact on legal recruiting became more evident, NDLS again ranked 23^rd, but placed just 23.8% of grads in NLJ250 jobs. Many speculate that the Class of 2011 will show still lower placement, since those graduates interviewed for 2L summer associate positions in 2009, when the recession had fully set in. Of course, many students find private practice jobs outside of the NLJ250. Overall, the percentage of graduates working for law firms has decreased from about 60% in 2008 to just 44% in 2010.

Judicial Clerkships

Possibly due to its concentration of conservative Catholics, Notre Dame has managed to punch a bit above its weight when it comes to competitive judicial clerkships. Typically, around 15% of each class clerks for a federal judge, with about half of these landing jobs with coveted “Article III” judges. These clerkships—which involve working at either the Court of Appeals or District Court level—are considered highly prestigious and valued by law firms and other employers. These statistics align more with the numbers of some schools in the traditional “Top 14” than they do with those of Notre Dame’s putative peers.

When it comes to the pinnacle of clerkship placement—working for a Supreme Court justice—Notre Dame has had moderate success: the law school placed five SCOTUS clerks between 2000 and 2010, more than Penn (three) and Cornell (two). The likelihood of clerking for a Justice is miniscule at even the most elite schools and probably should not factor into anyone’s decision-making process; still, it is nice to know that someone you borrowed a pen from in Torts may one day pore over amicus briefs for Alito.

Government and Public Interest

Keeping with Notre Dame’s emphasis on ethical public service in the legal profession, Career Service personnel are specially trained to assist students who want to work for the government, legal aid organizations, or other public interest groups. In addition to the limited LRAP mentioned above, NDLS provides summers stipends to support otherwise unpaid public service internships, which at least one student and TLS poster appreciates:

One way to separate yourself from the pack [applying to public interest jobs] is to do public interest internships both summers, demonstrating that you’re serious about it…[A] great thing about Notre Dame is that they offer summer stipends of about $4,000 to those of us who work unpaid internships, which definitely makes things easier. Other top schools have summer funding too, but Notre Dame is known for making it readily available…anyone who applied and was eligible for a stipend got one.[xxiii]

Housing

Notre Dame has housing for hundreds of graduate students; the most popular university options for law students are the Fischer Graduate Residences, which contain two-bedroom apartments. Some single law students also live in the O’Hara Grace Townhouses, though some TLS users warn against this non-air-conditioned complex with four-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom units. Married students can live in the Cripe Street Apartments (for those without children) or University Village (for larger families). Rent is reasonable, ranging from around $500 to $800 a month.

Most students live in off-campus apartments, some of which are within walking distance of the law school (although there is a commuter parking lot). Many of these apartment complexes become social centers and meeting points, especially during football season. A couple of TLS posters note that better deals than Fischer can be found with a little searching.

Quality of Life

While Domers are fiercely loyal to their school, this love does not always extend to South Bend. Says one TLS poster:

In South Bend, there is honestly not a lot more to do than football games. There are some bars in downtown South Bend but compared to big cities and college towns, they are [crappy]. The thing about South Bend is that it’s not a college town—it’s a regular town that happens to contain Notre Dame. So it’s basically just you're average mid-western city.

As mentioned above, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team dominates the fall. Despite the teams’ recent lack of success, hope springs eternal in South Bend, and second-year coach Brian Kelly has generated a lot of excitement. The team’s rich history—including 11 national titles and 7 Heisman trophy winners—unites the Notre Dame community and provides a ready topic of conversation for students and alumni alike.

In terms of the day-to-day feel of the law school, NDLS students seem happy with their classmates. One student remarks:

First year students are competitive but not cut throat. I think if it weren't for the economy and scarcity of jobs, people would be more relaxed. But around finals time, people tend to get really stressed out. On the other hand, people are more than willing to share notes, outlines, etc. But overall, I don't think its anymore or less competitive than other T25 law schools.[xxiv]

Conclusions

Notre Dame has an undeniable mystique, and its law school has a long tradition of academic excellence and integrity. A wide range of students grow to love the school, for or despite its Catholic roots. While no one should enter the school with the mindset that a six-figure job upon graduation is guaranteed, a solid national reputation and strong alumni network provide good long-term career prospects for most students, and many successful lawyers around the country are proud to call themselves “Domers.”

Contact Information

Notre Dame Law School Admissions Office
1329 Biolchini Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556

E-mail: lawadmit@nd.edu
Phone: (574) 631-6626
Fax: (574) 631-5474

Quick Reference

U.S. News Ranking: 23
Regular Decision Application Deadline: February 15
Early Decision Application Deadline: November 10
Application fee: $65
Entering class size: 172
Student/Faculty Ratio: 10.3
LSAT scores at 25th and 75th percentiles: 3.39 / 3.73
GPA at the 25th and 75th percentiles: 162/168
Tuition and Fees: $40,805
Percent of graduates employed at graduation: 88%
Percent of graduates employed nine months after graduation: 99%
Median private sector starting salary: $145,000
Median public sector starting salary: $53,000

[i] NDLS Cost of Attendance
[ii] NDLS Application Instructions
[iii] NDLS Transfer Application
[iv] NDLS Deferrals of Admission
[v] LSAC Official Guide
[vi] NDLS Class of 2012 Profile
[vii] TLS Forums
[viii] TLS Forums
[ix]TLS Forums
[x] NDLS Juris Doctor Degree
[xi] NDLS Grading Policy Statement
[xii] TLS Forums
[xiii] TLS Forums
[xiv] Leiter Rankigns
[xv] NDLS Dual Degree Programs
[xvi] NDLS Journals
[xvii] NDLS Legal Aid Clinic
[xviii] NDLS Moot Court
[xix] TLS Forums
[xx] TLS Forums
[xxi] Data from NDLS and Law School Transparency
[xxii] TLS Forums
[xxiii] TLS Forums
[xxiv] TLS Forums