Is this the first year The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program is selecting Scholars?
Yes— the Class of 2014 will be our first-ever class of Scholars!

What are the selection criteria for The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program?
The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program is looking for exceptional young people who have the potential to be influential leaders at the University of Notre Dame. Successful candidates will meet each of the following four criteria: Demonstrated Leadership Abilities, Distinguished Academic Accomplishment, Exemplary Moral Character, and Sincere Commitment to Service. You can read more about our criteria here.

What are the scholarship benefits?
Our benefits include four years of merit scholarship awards of $25,000 per year; four fully funded Summer Enrichment Experiences; Program activities designed to encourage engagement with other Scholars; and guidance, counseling and support from a dedicated Program Staff. You can read more about our scholarship benefits here.

What are Summer Enrichment Experiences?
In addition to scholarship awards, every Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar will receive funding for four summer experiences that begin the summer before his or her First Year and end the summer before his or her Senior Year. You can read more about the Summer Enrichment Experiences here.

How many Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars will be selected?
We will select 20 Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars in March 2010.

I was nominated to The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program by my high school and I submitted a Program Application. What happens next?
We will notify high school nominees at the end of January of our semifinalist decision. In early February, we will interview the 100 semifinalist students by phone. After the semifinalist phone interviews, we will invite 50 finalist students to an interview and visitation weekend at the University of Notre Dame, to be held at the end of March. By early April, we will have chosen 20 Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars.

I applied Early Action to Notre Dame. When will I find out if I have been referred to The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program by Notre Dame Admissions?
Those students who applied Early Action to Notre Dame and were referred to the Program by Notre Dame Admissions will be invited to apply to The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program in mid- to late December after Early Action decision letters are mailed. You can read more about our selection timeline here.

Are there minimum academic scores, averages or class ranks that applicants must have?
No. Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate significant academic accomplishment, and they must be admissible to the University of Notre Dame, but The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program does not assign a quantitative value to this criterion.

The average student admitted to the University of Notre Dame for the class of 2013 was ranked in the top 4% of his or her graduating class. The middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1390 and 1490 on the SAT and between 32 and 34 on the ACT.

What if I’m not Catholic?
Students of all faith backgrounds are welcomed to apply to the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program. The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic university and draws its basic inspiration from Catholic teachings, but it welcomes students of all religious affiliations and provides resources to support them in their spiritual development.

Can I apply to binding Early Decision plans to other schools?
No. You may apply to non-binding Early Action plans to other schools, but we cannot accept a student who has applied to a binding Early Decision plan.

If I’m selected as a Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar, am I still eligible to receive Financial Aid?
Yes, if the University determines that you demonstrate financial need. We encourage any applicant to our Program who is concerned about meeting the expense of a Notre Dame education to also apply for Financial Aid. To apply to Financial Aid to Notre Dame, a student must complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15. In addition, parents and students must submit signed copies of federal income tax returns (including schedules), W-2 wage statements and other documents as requested by the financial aid office. For official forms and information, visit the Office of Financial Aid’s website

I was nominated to The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program by my high school. Will my nomination make me more competitive for admission to the University of Notre Dame?
No. The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program only considers candidates who have already been admitted to the University of Notre Dame via the Early Action plan.

Does The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program use the material I sent in to Notre Dame Admissions to evaluate me?
No. We only use materials submitted directly to our Program to evaluate candidates for our Program: the Online Application (with accompanying recommendation letters), the Counselor Form, and the transcript mailed to our Program. To be eligible as a candidate to our Program, however, a student must have been admitted to Notre Dame by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Do I need recommendations?
We request two recommendations for each student, and the recommendation letters should be uploaded by recommendation providers as part of the student’s Online Application. Students may choose as their recommendation providers teachers, coaches, club advisors, religious leaders— anyone who can write specifically about the extent to which the student meets the four Hesburgh-Yusko criteria. We do not request a counselor letter in addition to the two recommendations.

The student is completely responsible for requesting those two recommendations, and he or she will make the request to recommendation providers via the Online Application. Recommendation providers will receive an automated e-mail detailing how they may submit their letters on behalf on the student. Students can make recommendation requests to the same people who wrote letters on their behalf to Notre Dame Admissions, but those recommendation providers will most likely be unable to use the same recommendation letters they sent to Notre Dame, as our recommendation prompt is specific to our selection criteria.

I’m a school counselor, and I’d like for my school to be designated as a nominating school next year. How can I request this?
If your school was not invited to nominate a student this year, and you would like to nominate a student to The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program next school year, please e-mail nominations@hesburgh-yusko.org with “2010 Nominations” as the subject line. In your e-mail, be sure to include basic information about your school, as well as your contact information.