Student Groups

Notre Dame, while a major research university, remains at its heart an undergraduate institution with a Catholic mission of forming students spiritually as well as intellectually. Undergraduate student groups are vital to that mission: they offer students opportunities for leadership, witness to the faith, and community life that are essential elements of Catholic formation. Our focus reflects the importance of these groups to the spiritual culture of the campus. Because we do not maintain the same level of interaction with graduate students as we do with undergraduate students, our recommendations so not include them. To find other groups, including those representing graduate students, you can search the Notre Dame Day website directly.

Sycamore Trust was organized as a nonpartisan organization. However, we deeply appreciate the commitment many political student groups, such as College Republicans, have shown to Catholic causes, particularly the defense of the sanctity of life. Our decision to omit political groups stems from our desire to stay focused on Catholic identity, not political affiliation.

University programs, centers, and institutes — such as ACE, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, and the McGrath Institute for Church Life — benefit from institutional staffing and access to a wide range of resources that student groups simply do not have. Their exclusion from our recommendations should not be taken as a commentary on their tremendous value to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity.

We base our recommendations on ongoing personal interaction with group leaders. Given the fast-paced turnover in undergraduate leadership, not all groups remain active or aligned year to year. Our selection ensures that we support groups that are vibrant, faithful, and meaningfully engaged in preserving Catholic identity at Notre Dame. 

Not being included on our list does not necessarily mean that a group is misaligned with our mission. We limit our recommendations to non-partisan, undergraduate organizations that are eligible for funding through Notre Dame Day and with whom we have had direct interaction with their leadership. The sole exception is The Irish Rover, which remains independent to preserve its journalistic integrity.

If you know of a student group that contributes meaningfully to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and is not listed, please support them—and let us know. We’d love the opportunity to connect with them.

Notre Dame Day is structured to maximize student group fundraising. It offers built-in incentives: groups earn additional matching awards and prizes based on the number of donors and funds raised. Student groups, without institutional resources, would find it nearly impossible to organize and promote a comparable campaign on their own — much less do so year after year. Giving through Notre Dame Day substantially increases the impact of your gift.

The Irish Rover is an independent nonprofit organization, intentionally structured this way to protect its journalistic freedom. Because it operates separately from the university’s Student Activities Office, it does not participate in the official student organization fundraising campaigns like Notre Dame Day. We strongly encourage subscribing to and supporting the Rover directly.

Groups have to request to be listed to receive funds through Notre Dame Day. If the group you wish to support does not appear on our list or on the Notre Dame Day page, you can still make a gift by using the Notre Dame Annual Giving page. Select “Other/Write In” from the drop-down menu and type the full name of the student organization in the space provided. Notre Dame’s Development Office will direct your gift accordingly.