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Unofficial campus guide · 2026-27
The Notre Dame freshman guide
The unofficial first-year playbook for life in South Bend.
- 27 chapters
- 20 step-by-step plays
- 44 tools included
- PDF + online
Fact-checked against official sources, October 11, 2026.
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From the guide
Notre Dame, by the numbers
$3,046
The 2026-27 student health insurance charge, billed to first-years unless you waive it.
Oct 30
Last day to discontinue a fall course, by 5 PM, with your dean’s approval.
12
Credits you have to carry to stay full-time. Part-time is only for your graduation semester.
Nov 23
First-years start registering for spring, on a randomly assigned time ticket.
$500
In Flex Points on Block 250. Whatever’s left expires at the end of the academic year.
$9,496
Housing and food on campus, per semester, for 2026-27.
Every figure has its official source in the guide. Details change, so the guide links to each one.
What's inside
The stuff orientation skips.
- The holds and the insurance charge you may not need
- Why a retake doesn’t erase the F
- Notre Dame Stadium, the Grotto, and The Shirt
- The campus lakes, the Dunes, and Potato Creek
- Lake-effect snow and cold, handled
Coming up at Notre Dame
The next registration, money, and academic dates.
From the guide's verified calendar. Always confirm on the school's official page.
Contents
- 1Start here
- 2Your first 48 hours
- 3Registration kill switchesFree sample
- 4Class rules that bite
- 5Registering for spring
- 6Money defense
- 7Where to study
- 8Eat well without going broke
- 9Getting around and getting home
- 10Game day
- 11Traditions and free fun
- 12Halloween, holidays, and spring
- 13Get outside
- 14Social apps and finding your people
- 15Roommates
- 16Your support team
- 17Stay healthy
- 18Winter: snow, ice, and lake-effect cold
- 19Career and working through college
- 20Health careers: nursing, pre-med, PA, and NP
- 21Military and college
- 22Beyond your first year
- 23Key dates 2026-27
- 24For parents and families
- 25The rules that matter most
- 26Quick reference
- 27Sources and how this was checked
Free sample chapter
Look inside.
One whole chapter from the Notre Dame guide, word for word. The interactive tools in it come with the guide.
That's 1 of 27 chapters.
The rest covers class rules, spring registration, money, food, getting around, game day, health, weather, and every key date for the year.
Tell me when it opensFree vs. the Notre Dame guide
The free guides and tools work for any college. The Notre Dame guide adds everything specific to University of Notre Dame.
Freshman101 is independent. This guide is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of Notre Dame. The school's name is used only to say which campus it covers.
| What you get | Free | Notre Dame guide, $24.99 |
|---|---|---|
| Free Student Guide (PDF, any college) | Included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Free Parent Guide (PDF) | Included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Planning tools | 16 free tools | All 44 tools |
| Your school's deadlines, with a countdown and calendar export | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Holds and hidden charges at your school, and how to clear them | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Your school's class rules: drops, withdrawals, repeats | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Game day planner with the home schedule and stadium rules | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Where to Eat near campus, plus student deals and freebies | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| A first 48 hours checklist built for your campus | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Advising prep, study planners, and the résumé and letter studio | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |
| Online pages for your phone, plus the magazine-style PDF | Not included in the free version | Included in the campus guide |