Undergraduate tuition at the University of Notre Dame will increase 3.8 percent for the 2012-13 academic year to $42,971. The rate of increase matches that of the previous two years, which was the lowest since 1960. With average room and board rates of $11,934, total student charges will be $54,905.
In a letter to parents and guardians of students returning for the next academic year, Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., wrote that the University remains concerned about the economy and has worked hard to increase operational efficiencies. A University committee identified more than $30 million in recurring costs and potential revenue to redirect toward top institutional priorities. Jenkins wrote that Notre Dame aims to “match the tremendous energy, talent and time (families) have invested in a Notre Dame education by maintaining the traditions of academic excellence and fiscal responsibility that we have forged over the years.”
Jenkins wrote that the University seeks to return the highest value for the educational investment and pledges to maintain a transformative experience for students. He pointed to continual increases in student applications, and the success and satisfaction that Notre Dame graduates express in surveys as measures of the University’s performance. Other indications, he wrote, are that Notre Dame regularly boasts retention and graduation rates ranking among the top five nationally.
Speaking of what makes Notre Dame unique, Jenkins said the University “instills values and knowledge, inspires a lifelong mission and strengthens the foundation to pursue it.”