Application Process

Application Checklist

The application process is as follows:

  • Submit your application, when you are ready. ESTEEM uses a rolling admissions process, and offers will be made after each of the four deadlines.
  • Complete an interview. (After the application deadline has passed, an ESTEEM staff member will contact you with instructions on how to complete an aysnchronous interview.)
  • Receive notification of the University's decision.

Application Timeline for the Class of 2025

  • 1st Decision: October 10th (decision emailed to applicant by October 27th)
  • 2nd Decision: December 1st (decision emailed to applicant by December 15th) 
  • 3rd Decision: January 29th (decision emailed to applicant by February 16th) 
  • Naughton Fellowship: January 29th (decision emailed to applicant TBD)
  • Final Decision: March 19th (decision emailed to applicant by April 5th)

**If you missed the final deadline and remain interested in our program, ESTEEM will entertain late applications on a case by case basis. If you wish to do this, please email Iseli Hernandez to request additional information. 

**The ESTEEM Graduate Program strongly recommends that international students apply before the 3rd deadline to account for potential delays related to visa processing.

Application Requirements:

Prospective students apply to ESTEEM using the Slate system. You will be allowed to save your application as you go along and upload documents directly into Slate. Applications will only be reviewed once the entire packet is complete and submitted within the system. A $75 non-refundable fee applies unless a fee waiver is granted. Contact Iseli Hernandez for more information on the waiver process.

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited American university or foreign institution of acceptable standing by the time of graduate matriculation
  • Background in science, engineering, research, or technology—such as computer science, electrical engineering, industrial design, biology, economics, data analytics, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, etc.
  • Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
  • Entrepreneurial mindset material—upload under "Essay Short Answer"; see application for prompt
  • Statement of Intent—upload under "Essay Short Answer"; see application for prompt
  • Three (3) recommendations
  • Resume or CV—upload under "Uploads"
  • International students whose native language is not English must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores to demonstrate language proficiency. The Graduate School will waive the TOEFL/IELTS requirement for non-native English speakers who spent a minimum of two years at an academic institution whose primary language of instruction was English. 

Note: The University of Notre Dame’s institution code for the TOEFL exam is 1841.

Deferrals

The ESTEEM Graduate Program does not offer deferrals. However, if you are accepted into the program and do not attend, you may submit an updated application (with the application fee waived) the following year.  

To submit an updated application, you must upload:

  • a new Statement of Intent  
  • an updated Resume or CV
  • one additional Letter of Recommendation that speaks to what you've been doing in the year since you originally applied

All ESTEEM scholarship amounts granted from the original application are not guaranteed and will be reevaluated by the Admissions Committee. 

If more than one year has passed since you originally applied, you must submit a new application. Exceptions can be made for students in extenuating circumstances who have previously confirmed their attendance.