Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Notre Dame

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
NDU-main-buildingPhoto: Public domain · Public domain
Colleges in and near Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a college town: 97 of every 100 residents are students

No college sits inside Notre Dame’s boundary, but the University of Notre Dame’s campus in Notre Dame, with 12,910 students on campus, is 0.2 miles from the center of town, and Ivy Tech Community College is 131.1 miles away in Indianapolis. Across Indiana, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town97% of residents are studentsUniversity of Notre DameSaint Mary's CollegeIndiana University-South Bend

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Notre Dame. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
6
20,039 students on campus
Nearest college
0.2 mi
University of Notre Dame
Residents in college
97%
Above IN (6%)
Nearest community college
131.1 mi
Ivy Tech · $5,154 tuition
Nearest public university
2.6 mi
Indiana University-South Bend · $8,424 in-state
Median household income
$20K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Notre Dame

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town97 of every 100 Notre Dame residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.Three colleges within 2.6 milesUniversity of Notre Dame admits 11% of applicants; Saint Mary's College admits 76%; Indiana University-South Bend admits 84%. Together they have 18,155 students on campus.In-state price at Indiana University-South BendLiving in Indiana, Indiana University-South Bend charges $8,424 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $22,811. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 131.1 miles awayIvy Tech Community College in Indianapolis: tuition and fees $5,154 a year for Indiana residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Notre Dame

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

97 of every 100 Notre Dame residents are in college (IN: 6).

385college students live in Notre Dame households rather than dorms
20.3median age · IN 38.1
96%of homes rented · IN 29%
$1,258median rent · 18% above the state
Notre DameNotre Dame, IN
Cost of living$1,258/mo median rentSafetyCrime reported to the FBIHealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Notre Dame’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 49.2% of Notre Dame residents are below the poverty line, 43.5% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 45 points either way). 52% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (97% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Notre Dame’s median age is 20.3 (Indiana 38.1), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Notre Dame

Five private colleges within 2.7 miles, and one public college within 2.6 miles.

5 mi10 mi15 miUniversity of Notre DameIndiana University-South BendSaint Mary's CollegeNotre Dame
University or collegeCommunity college
University of Notre DameUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 12,910 on campus · 0.2 mi · Notre Dame11%admitted$27knet price95%graduate$100kearningsHoly Cross CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 547 on campus · 0.8 mi · Notre Dame75%admitted$27knet price73%graduate$50kearningsSaint Mary's CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,467 on campus · 1.1 mi · Notre Dame76%admitted$25knet price69%graduate$59kearningsJohn Patrick University of Health and Applied SciencesUniversity or college · For-profit · 365 on campus · 1.9 mi · South Bend82%admitted$38knet priceIndiana University-South BendUniversity or college · Public · 3,778 on campus · 2.6 mi · South Bend84%admitted$9knet price40%graduate$45kearningsBethel UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 972 on campus · 2.7 mi · Mishawaka98%admitted$19knet price53%graduate$49kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Under $30k, where Notre Dame’s median household income ($19,886) falls.

Indiana University-South Bend2.6 mi · South Bend · sticker $17,364$4,637a year
University of Notre Dame0.2 mi · Notre Dame · sticker $83,271$7,244a year
Holy Cross College0.8 mi · Notre Dame · sticker $50,881$15,377a year
Saint Mary's College1.1 mi · Notre Dame · sticker $66,478$16,760a year
Bethel University2.7 mi · Mishawaka · sticker $43,885$17,580a year
John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences1.9 mi · South Bend · sticker $44,115$37,635a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Notre Dame: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →University of Notre DameHoly Cross CollegeSaint Mary's CollegeIndiana University-South BendBethel University
University of Notre Dame95% graduate$100k earnings$19k typical debt
Indiana University-South Bend40% graduate$45k earnings$21k typical debt
Saint Mary's College69% graduate$59k earnings$27k typical debt
Bethel University53% graduate$49k earnings$25k typical debt
Holy Cross College73% graduate$50k earnings$24k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Questions about college near Notre Dame

Is Notre Dame a college town?

Yes. 97 of every 100 Notre Dame residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Indiana. The nearest campus, the University of Notre Dame, is 0.2 miles away in Notre Dame.

What colleges are near Notre Dame?

Within 15 miles: the University of Notre Dame (0.2 miles, 12,910 students on campus), Holy Cross College (0.8 miles, 547), Saint Mary's College (1.1 miles, 1,467), John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences (1.9 miles, 365), Indiana University-South Bend (2.6 miles, 3,778) and Bethel University (2.7 miles, 972).

Why is Notre Dame’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 49.2% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 43.5% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 45 points).

What is the closest community college to Notre Dame, and what does it cost?

Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, 131.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,154 a year for Indiana residents; the federal net price, $7,258, counts housing and food at full cost.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Notre Dame. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →