RISE is a pre-orientation program that gives incoming students a jump start on their college experience. It introduces students to the values, commitments, and community that epitomize the Notre Dame experience, making friends while doing it.

RISE is a call to action for all incoming students who want to respond to the demands of justice while also beginning to explore their own sense of purpose in the world. The ideas they explore and work they do here will forever shape the way students interact with others, the decisions they make, and the lives they change, starting with their own.

In South Bend or your hometown

RISE South Bend: 

This immersive 8-day pre-orientation program invites students to come to South Bend before other students arrive and be part of an experience that engages fully in the vibrant community of South Bend—their home for the next four years. Through a framework of faithful citizenship students will experience some of the culture, history, food, and arts that make South Bend such a wonderful place to live, and will also participate in tackling some of its challenges, working with community partners to make the city more just, humane, and equitable. Students will meet with local leaders and faculty community experts, hear from alumni, and see different models of social change in action. 

All on-site expenses including food, housing, transportation are covered. Students are responsible for travel to Notre Dame. (Note: After accepting an offer to participate, a $150 fee will be charged if you withdraw. After August 1, participants who withdraw will be assessed a $250 fee.)

Dates

August 11: Arrive on campus
August 12–17: RISE:SB 
August 18: Welcome Weekend begins

Application

The application for 2023 is now closed.

RISE Hometown:

The program is a little different for those choosing to do it in their hometowns. Wherever your hometown is, you’ll need to do the following: 

• Collaborate with an organization in your home community for at least 100 hours of engagement on a project over a minimum of five weeks.
• Participate in a virtual orientation plus a training session on the principles and ethics of community engagement.
• Participate in weekly programming to explore the challenges of community engagement and strategies for both making sustainable relationships and maximizing impact. Programming runs from mid-June to mid-July.
• Programming will consist of at least three virtual reflection workshops led by Notre Dame faculty, plus weekly conversations with Notre Dame partner organizations and others exploring questions of citizenship. Students will also be paired with a Notre Dame alumni. 
• Share your summer work in September at a symposium for fellow participants.
• Receive a $1,500 award for participating (please note that the stipend will be paid to participants in August when they’ve matriculated and school has begun).

Dates

​The program starts the week of June 12. 

Application

The application for 2023 is now closed.

Contact Adam Gustine with questions at agustine@nd.edu.