Information for Prospective Student-Athletes

The Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes, under the auspices of the Provost’s office, exists to enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience and to promote individual ownership of academic, athletic, personal, and social responsibilities.  Using a variety of resources, Academic Services supports student-athletes, challenging each to maximize his or her academic potential.

To meet the varying needs of student-athletes, the office provides a wide range of services including general academic support, tutoring, monitoring of academic performance, team orientation, time management assistance, information about post-graduate and scholarship opportunities, and academic recognition.  These services, funded by the University, are available to all intercollegiate student-athletes, cheerleaders, student managers, and student trainers.

Other sources of support, both academic and personal, include faculty, college and departmental advisors, residence hall staff, coaches, athletic administrators, the University Counseling Center, and Student Welfare & Development.

Academic Counselors

Team Orientation

Each academic counselor conducts an orientation meeting with his or her teams to familiarize student-athletes with the University and the demands of being a student-athlete. Orientation meetings with student-athletes include:

• Philosophy, practices, and resources of ASSA and Notre Dame
• Academic expectations
• University Honor Code
• Classroom protocol
• Services available to improve study skills and time management techniques

Meetings with Counselors

Counselors hold regular meetings with student-athletes to:

• Continue to educate student-athletes about our office and the University as a whole
• Assess transition from high school, adjustment, progress, and overall academic, personal, and social well-being
• Provide ancillary help with course selection and registration for upper-class students
• Monitor academic performance and track progress towards degree completion
• Refer students to appropriate faculty, college advisors, and academic departments

Communication

Counselors in ASSA communicate regularly with many people on campus in an effort to provide support for student-athletes. This includes regular communication with:

• Faculty: Information is routinely solicited from faculty regarding students' progress in their classes. This feedback is discussed with the student-athletes and appropriate changes are made as needed. Counselors communicate with faculty and encourage student-athletes to do the same regularly.
• Departmental Academic Advisors and Assistant Deans: After student-athletes have met with advisors in their departments, Academic Services provides ancillary assistance in course selection and academic plans. Counselors monitor each student-athlete's academic profile, including grade histories, graduation progress charts, and NCAA eligibility status.
• Coaches: Counselors keep them informed of student-athletes' academic performance. Coaches play an important role in supporting Academic Services' pursuit to maintain a scholarly culture on each athletic team at Notre Dame.

Transition Program

During their first semester on campus, all scholarship student-athletes will participate in a mandatory academic Transition Program. The central goal of this program is to help ensure that each student-athlete has a successful start to their collegiate career. By focusing on the importance of a consistent approach, ASSA hopes this experience will reinforce a set of habits (punctuality, organization, good time management and the capacity to focus) that will help each participant successfully balance the demands inherent to being a student-athlete at Notre Dame. While the environment is closely supervised by ASSA Academic Counselors, the outcome is designed to cultivate growth and ultimately, academic independence.

Academic Resources

Tutoring

The tutoring program, under the direction of the Tutor Coordinator, provides flexible and comprehensive content tutoring to student-athletes.  A supplement to class time and faculty assistance, tutoring is an opportunity for student-athletes to more fully master class content.

Tutors are either undergraduate or graduate students who have been recommended by professors.  The Tutor Coordinator assigns a specific tutor to each student-athlete who submits a request through his or her counselor.  The vast number of tutors available allows student-athletes to schedule tutoring sessions with the assigned tutor at times that fit individual schedules.

The tutoring program is not intended to take the place of attending class and working with professors; tutoring provides an opportunity for students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of course material.

Learning Specialists

Learning Specialists provide intensive academic support to an assigned group of identified student-athletes, some of whom have diagnosed learning disabilities. Learning Specialists work with students one-on-one and in small groups and assist with skill development & refinement by teaching study skills, coordinating campus academic resources, exam preparation, critical reading, time management, note-taking and promoting engagement within the content areas of the student’s courses. 

Strategy Tutors

The role of Strategy Tutors is, broadly, to assist student-athletes in adjusting successfully to the rigorous academic demands of the University of Notre Dame; strategy Tutors are paired with freshman student-athletes to help with this transition, helping them implement an effective time management program to stay on track with their coursework, as well develop efficient studying techniques, and to build academic skills.

University Policies

Attendance

Notre Dame is an attendance-based university, and student-athletes are expected to attend all classes.  When traveling for competition, student-athletes are officially excused from class attendance.  Student-Athletes are responsible for contacting professors at the start of each semester to make alternative arrangements for any missed course work due to team travel.

Academic Eligibility

To be in academic good standing, first semester students must achieve a minimum semester average of 1.700. Second semester students must achieve a minimum semester average of 1.850. Students in their sophomore year and beyond must achieve a minimum semester average of 2.000.

Academic Excellence

The University of Notre Dame is proud of the academic and personal accomplishments of its student-athletes.  Notre Dame student-athletes take tremendous pride in their accomplishments and strive for excellence in competition and in the classroom.  Consistently high grade point averages and a graduation rate that ranks at or near the top of Division 1 institutions annually confirms Notre Dame’s commitment to academic excellence.