Admissions & Financial Support
Apply Now - Application deadline - January 2nd
We suggest that potential students fill-out a pre-application form that will initiate a conversation on his or her fit to the program. Then application is made through the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame. Prerequisites for admission to the program include:
- Being a practicing Catholic in good standing
- A completed bachelor’s degree
- at least 12 hours of theology or religious studies and 9 hours of philosophy are strongly recommended
- Service experience, preferably in the Catholic Church, that gives evidence of aptitude for professional ministry
Application
Formal application is submitted through the Graduate School, and includes:
- A curriculum vitae
- An autobiographical statement following this distinctive outline
- A statement of intent that gives one’s ministerial goals and how completing Notre Dame’s Master of Divinity Program will help one to meet them
- Transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended;
- GRE scores
- TOEFL scores for those for whom English is a second language
- Three letters of recommendation. One of these letters must support the candidate’s aptitude for ministerial leadership
Once applications have been reviewed, a select group of candidates will be invited for a three day on campus visit, which includes interviews with the MDiv board of directors, course visits, lunch with faculty, and socials with current students. The interview visits will take place in early February.
Financial Support
All students accepted into the program receive full tuition scholarships which are renewable during the three years in the program provided the student is making satisfactory progress.
Each student also receives a modest yearly stipend (usually around $5,000-$6,000) to help with living expenses. Students also receive a full subsidy for the University student health insurance and assistance for meals on campus. In addition, a variety of fellowship and employment opportunities on campus are available.
"Being married and with a child on the way, it's difficult to imagine this program being possible without the financial support offered by the program. It's an incredible gift to be able to study and prepare for ministry, and the scholarship is a reminder of the gratuitousness of this vocation."
- Ben Wilson, '13