University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., earlier today directed that federal funding related to coronavirus relief and received by the University be used exclusively for direct financial aid to students whose families have been struck by unemployment or otherwise upended by the pandemic.
Notre Dame’s funding priority was student financial aid long before the pandemic, however.
For example, last year savings generated by the University’s early retirement package were used for student financial aid. While endowment spending is constrained legally by thousands of donor agreements, one-third of Notre Dame’s endowment earnings is expended on student financial aid. Almost one-half (48 percent) of Notre Dame students receive financial assistance in the form of need-based scholarships that do not require repayment. The median amount per student is $38,000, about three-quarters the cost of tuition to Notre Dame.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on April 22, 2020.