Notre Dame, IN
Founded in 1842
University of Notre Dame (also referred to as Notre Dame or ND) is a top-tier private research university located in the town of Notre Dame, Indiana, in the Midwest of the United States, less than a two-hour drive from Chicago, the third-largest city in the U.S. Notre Dame has more than 10,000 students from over 100 countries and is a Roman Catholic institution, with approximately 70% of its students being Roman Catholic. The university is divided into seven colleges: the College of Science, the College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Letters, the Law School, the Graduate School, and the School of Architecture. Of these, the College of Business is the largest, with over 2,000 students, and offers programs in accounting, finance, information technology, management, and marketing. Other fields such as political science, sociology, political economy, logic, history, philosophy, English, and medicine also hold significant influence in academia. The Notre Dame Law School ranks in the top 20 in the U.S., while the College of Business ranks in the top 25. Additionally, Notre Dame's Divinity School is one of the major centers of theological studies in the U.S. The university's campus spans 1,250 acres and features lakes and forests, with over 200 buildings, many of which are in the classical Gothic architectural style. Notable buildings include the Golden Dome, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and the Hesburgh Library, which has murals depicting the story of Christ. Notre Dame is renowned for preserving its Catholic identity, which sets it apart from other major research universities. The university's leadership, including its president and other senior committee members, consists of priests from the Congregation of Holy Cross, and each dormitory has its own small chapel and regular Mass services.