Application Process
Note: FUSE was known as the Sorin Scholars Honors Program until Fall 2025.
Class of 2029 Application Information
The application for the Class of 2029 will be available to submit in early January. Until then, eligibility information and application instrutions are available below for early review.
Eligibility
The FUSE Program is an initiative of the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) meant to support exceptional students who actively wish to pursue research and scholarly engagement during their time at Notre Dame. Students must be a second semester freshman at the time of application. Additionally, applicants must be able to demonstrate exceptional academic performance, leadership potential, and active engagement within their field of study and community.
FUSE Expectations:
Members of the FUSE program are expected to:
- Attend meetings and events and earn enough points to remain active in the program.
- Apply for applicable grants and national fellowships throughout your years in the program.
- Participate in mentorship groups with other scholars.
- Actively pursue opportunities to engage with your discipline and others outside of the classroom.
- Act as an ambassador for CUSE and scholarly engagement activities at Notre Dame.
- All sophomore FUSE students must register for a mandatory 1-credit hour sophomore FUSE Seminar Course, which will take place the first 8-weeks of the fall and spring semesters of sophomore year (schedule TBD).
How to Apply to the Program
Students wishing to apply for the FUSE Class of 2029 must follow the instructions below:
- Applicants must complete and submit our program application below
- Complete applications will be due on March 4, 2026, by 11:59 PM. The application consists of general information (e.g. intended majors/minors, current GPA) and two short essay questions that ask the student to reflect on their research/intellectual interests and future goals.
- Applicants must submit along with their completed application form two letters of recommendation:
- One academic recommendation from someone at Notre Dame who has taught you and can attest to your academic potential (this can include graduate students or advisors who have instructed you in class).
- The second recommendation may be another academic reference or a personal reference. Personal references should be from someone at Notre Dame who can speak to your drive, integrity, leadership potential, and extracurricular engagement and/or service. Ideal personal letters will come from student organization leaders, rectors, or anyone from the Notre Dame community who has observed and can attest to these qualities.
- Recommenders will receive an email with submission instructions AFTER you officially submit your application. We can accept letters up until March 8, 2026, at 11:59pm. Letter-writers who wish to submit their letters early may do so by emailing them to fusefellows@nd.edu with the subject heading "Recommendation Letter for [Applicant's Name]."
- Applicants must also upload a PDF copy of their current resume.
Interviews will be conducted by the Admissions Committee, comprised of members of the CUSE team and current FUSE students the week of April 13, 2026. For more information about our program or the application process, please send inquiries to fusefellows@nd.edu.
Application: Class of 2029 (submittable application will be available in early January)
Once you have reviewed the instructions above, please click the link above to complete and submit your FUSE Class of 2029 application.
Please note, your application must be completed in one sitting. If you would like to preview the application content, including essay questions, you can download a PDF sample of the FUSE Class of 2029 application [PDF, 204k]