Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the U.S.:
Notre Dame announces tuition assistance plan
The University of Notre Dame announced it will cover the full tuition cost for students from families with an annual income below $150,000.
“With this announcement, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to ensuring that cost will never be a barrier between a promising student and a Notre Dame education, and we are ensuring that families have greater clarity as they consider this important and formative step for young scholars,” Micki Kidder, Notre Dame vice president for undergraduate enrollment, said in the March 18 announcement.
The move comes as “a bold expansion” of its Pathways to Notre Dame Initiative, launched by Notre Dame President Father Robert A. Dowd, CSC, in September 2024.
Families who make under $60,000 per year will also receive need-based financial aid covering tuition, fees, housing, and food, while families who make under $200,000 can receive need-based aid that covers half of the cost of tuition, as part of the program’s expansion.
“Navigating the financial aid process can often feel like the most daunting part of the college selection journey,” Kidder said. “By implementing income-based scholarship thresholds, we are providing the clarity families need to see that a world-class education is within their reach.”
Belmont Abbey College launches leadership and policy semester at D.C. campus
Belmont Abbey College announced a program that will allow its students to study for a semester at its campus in Washington, D.C.
“Open to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the American Semester Experience allows students to immerse themselves in specialized coursework on Catholic social teaching while completing full-time internships with congressional offices, federal agencies, and policy organizations,” the college said in a March 16 press release.
The program will be housed at Belmont House, the college’s formation center on Capitol Hill.
“The Belmont House exemplifies our mission as a Catholic Benedictine college, which is to order the hearts and minds of students to Christ as they serve in the world as competent professionals,” Belmont Abbey President Jeffrey Talley said. “In a city where decisions shape the lives of millions, our students learn to act with conscience, courage, and conviction.”
New York Archdiocese announces school closures as part of ‘School Renewal Plan’
Three schools will be shut down at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the Superintendent of Schools Office for the Archdiocese of New York said in a March 16 press release.
“These decisions were made after extensive reflection, study, and prayer, as we face significant challenges that make it impossible to continue our mission at these locations,” Sister Mary Grace Walsh said in the press release. “It is our hope that all students will continue their Catholic school education in one of our other Catholic schools.”
Incarnation School in Manhattan, Sacred Heart School in Hartsdale, and Most Precious Blood School in Walden will close, while St. Paul School in Valley Cottage will be consolidated with St. Anthony School in Nanuet.
Transfiguration School in Manhattan will also consolidate from three locations to two.
The move comes as a part of the archdiocese’s School Renewal Plan, “a faith-filled initiative aimed at sustaining and strengthening Catholic education across the archdiocese.”