Since being rebranded in 2024, the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Admissions has hosted The Rally, it’s admitted students weekend for the incoming freshman class. This year, official programming for the Class of 2030 is scheduled from this Sunday through Monday, with an optional early check-in Saturday.
The University expects to welcome over 1,700 admitted students this weekend, Micki Kidder, vice president of admissions, wrote in a statement to the Observer. The Rally comes after the University previously announced that it had accepted 9% of the 36,102 applicants.
Kidder noted that the University expects 4,500 total visitors including students and their families. These students account for 53% of the admitted class. She continued, this will be the largest admitted student gathering that the University has hosted. Last year’s Rally welcomed 1,450 students and 3,400 total visitors.
The majority of The Rally events will occur Sunday, beginning with main guest check-in at the Joyce Center, featuring a lounge, “Commit Alley,” and financial aid walk-up hours, being held concurrently.
A new event, the “What Would You Fight For” booth, also located in North Dome, hopes to show admitted students how they can act as a force for good within the Notre Dame community, Kidder wrote.
At 10 a.m., a Mass is scheduled in the Basilica, followed by academic experiences for each college and school within the University.
During this college-specific programming, admitted students will be exposed to various classes, some of which include Graphics in Architecture, No Pressure or Anything … but the Future of American Democracy Is in Your Hands: How Young People Can Reinvent Politics as We Know It and Seeing the Unseen: Using Electrons To Unlock Secrets of the Universe, among others.
“Sunday afternoon is dedicated to the academic immersion, where admitted students engage with master classes and faculty specific to their area of study. Colleges and schools tailor offerings to feature the academic excellence, premier faculty, and undergraduate research opportunities that students will have within specific disciplines,” Kidder wrote.
In the evening, students and families will attend the Welcome to Notre Dame event, featuring speeches by Kidder, provost John McGreevy, Class of 2027 president Aleah Applin and Fr. Pete McCormick. There will also be performances by the Notre Dame Marching Band and Harmonia, an all-women’s a cappella group.
“All students and their families will experience some components of The Rally together. For example, all guests are encouraged to attend marquee events such as ‘Welcome to Notre Dame,’ ‘Love Thee, Notre Dame,’ ‘Why Notre Dame: a Distinctive Undergraduate Experience’ and the Resource Fair,” Kidder wrote.
Following this event, students can participate in the Class of 2030 connect, while parents and families have a dessert reception.
Monday’s events will include an Academic and Student Services Resource Fair, a Residential Life Experience and the “Why Notre Dame: A Distinctive Undergraduate” panel, led by Fr. Gerry Olinger, vice president for student affairs.
“I hope our admitted students come away from both the panel and their time at The Rally with an understanding that a Notre Dame education involves the formation of the mind and the heart. Yes, we prepare our students to make a living and to be leaders, but we also empower them to lead a life of purpose and service that is grounded in something deeper than achievements and accolades,” Olinger wrote in a statement to the Observer.
Olinger continued, “A Notre Dame education also happens in residence halls, in student clubs, in late-night conversations with friends, in community and moments of support, in the dining halls, in communal prayer and in various other settings in which students begin to discover the gifts they have been given and how they might use those gifts not for the purpose of serving only themselves but in service to others.”
The Rally’s conclusion will be Monday at 4 p.m. on South Quad with the “Love Thee, Notre Dame!” event, which will feature McCormick as DJ and a human tunnel to welcome admitted students. All members of the Notre Dame community are welcome to attend.
“When I think about The Rally, what I hope admitted students will get is ultimately this: An experience of Notre Dame that reminds them that this is a place for them — where they can grow, where they can learn, where they can come to understand their deepest self and the love that God has for them,” McCormick said in an interview with the Observer.
Kidder hopes that The Rally being over two days will allow students to engage with their college and the University on the whole, experience residential life, learn about the faith, the mission of the University and have time themselves to explore campus. Kidder noted that the goal of The Rally is, “Every admitted student and their family understands the comprehensive and distinct mission of Our Lady’s University and feels the authentic love and care of this inclusive family.”
The Rally relies on student volunteers to help make sure events run smoothly.
Freshman Claudia Keller, who is volunteering as a dinner ambassador, wrote in a statement to the Observer about why she decided to assist at this year’s Rally.
“Last year, I did not commit until I attended the rally. What honestly convinced me to go was the conversations I had with other current students here. When given the opportunity to sign up, I wanted to have the same impact on prospective students,” Keller wrote.
Lukas Jesso, a freshman who is volunteering with the McKenna Center during The Rally, said, “It has just been a very transformational experience for me being able to work for them, and I think other freshmen should be able to have the same experience. I am looking forward to tabling at an event for freshmen to come talk to me.”
The Admissions Office will be hosting tours of campus throughout the day on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. out of McKenna Hall. Additionally, both the offices of Financial Aid and Student Accounts will have normal hours from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday, as well as participating in events in the Joyce Center Sunday.
Kidder wrapped up by writing, “The Rally isn’t just about recruitment of new students; it’s about welcoming a new generation into our family, one which has gathered around a shared and sacred mission for 184 years. As we continue to educate the minds and hearts of Notre Dame students, we do so with care, respect, faith and love. Whether a student has already committed or is still weighing their options, our goal is for them to leave The Rally feeling that they are already part of the Notre Dame family and knowing that they will forever have a home in South Bend.”
Admitted students to the School of Architecture being led on a campus tour during the 2025 Rally. Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Enrollment Division.
