Application Process

List of 8 items.

• Step 1: Submit the Inquiry Form

  We are thrilled you are exploring NDP for the 2027–2028 academic year! Your journey begins by completing the Inquiry Form, which opens on July 1, 2026.
  
  You will receive a confirmation email once the form is submitted. However, please allow up to 24 hours for our Admissions Team to process your information, after which you will be invited to log in to our online Admissions Portal.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Submitting the Inquiry Form is required before you can schedule your daughter's Shadow Day, where she will experience campus life alongside one of our student ambassadors.

• Step 2: Access the Online Admissions Portal

  Once your Inquiry Form is processed, it’s time to access NDP's Admissions Portal. Click the PrepNet button in the top-right corner of our website and log in using the same email address you used to fill out the Inquiry Form.
  
  The Admissions Portal is your central hub throughout the admissions journey, allowing you to track your application status, schedule your daughter's Shadow Day, explore financial aid, and manage checklists.

• Step 3: Schedule Your Daughter's Shadow Day

  Once you are logged in to our Admissions Portal, you will gain access to the admissions calendar where you will be able to schedule your daughter’s Shadow Day. This is a required step in the admissions process where she will get to experience a full day of campus life alongside one of our student ambassadors.
  
  If you'd like to learn more about our Shadow Day experience and see a full list of dates before officially registering, please visit our Shadow Day page.

• Step 4: Submit the Full Application

  Detailed instructions for submitting your daughter's application will be available via the Admissions Portal, but we have provided some important information regarding submission timelines and the application fee below.
  
  

  Application Submission Timelines

  
  Upper Level (Grades 9 or 10): Applications must be submitted through the Admissions Portal within 48 hours of your daughter's scheduled Shadow Day.

   

  Middle Level (Grades 6, 7, or 8): You are not required to submit an application prior to your daughter's Shadow Day.
  
  

  Application Fee & Legacy Waivers

  
  Application Fee: A $55 application fee is required for both Middle and Upper Level applicants.

   

  Legacy Waiver: If the applicant has a grandmother, mother, aunt, or sister who attended or currently attends NDP, you are eligible for a fee waiver. Please email the Admissions Office to receive your waiver code before submitting your final application.
  
  

• Step 5: Testing

  9th Grade Applicants

  All students applying to Catholic high schools are required to take the High School Placement Test (HSPT). Registration for the HSPT opens on September 15, 2026. For more information about the test and how to register your 8th grade student, please visit the Archdiocese of Baltimore's HSPT webpage.
  
  

  Additionally, we will be offering the test on our campus on November 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. If you would like to register your student to take the HSPT at NDP, you may do so by visiting the Archdiocese of Baltimore's HSPT Registration Portal and selecting Notre Dame Prep from the list of testing sites once registration opens on September 15, 2026.
  
  

  PLEASE NOTE: All 8th grade students currently attending an Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic school will take the test during school hours and at their school on November 19, 2026. You do NOT need to register for this test yourself, since your current Archdiocese school will handle this for you.

  10th Grade Transfer Applicants

  All students applying to transfer for 10th grade are required to take the ISEE. For testing site information, please visit the Education Records Bureau (ERB) website.

  Middle Level Applicants (Grades 6, 7, or 8)

  The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is the admissions entrance exam for any student applying to an independent middle school.
  
  

  NDP is a host site on December 12, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (8:30 a.m. check-in). This testing date on NDP's campus is only for those applying to Middle Level (Grades 6, 7, 8).
  
  

  NDP is also a closed testing site, meaning that any student wanting to test at NDP needs to register via the ISEE website by November 27, 2026. NDP's 2026 event code to enter for registration is ASCDZCYP. Walk-ins are not permitted.
  
  

  Students may test at any area independent school that offers the ISEE. NDP requests that the test be taken no later than NDP's application deadline on December 11, 2026. ISEE testing dates are available on the ISEE website.

• Step 6: Register with FACTS

  NDP contracts with FACTS, a third-party tuition, aid, and grant processing platform. To be considered for endowed scholarships or need-based financial aid, parents must submit documents to FACTS from October 16, 2026, through December 18, 2026.
  
  

  NDP encourages everyone to apply through FACTS, whether you believe you will qualify for financial aid or not. Need-based financial aid and endowed scholarship awards are granted after a thorough review of the family's completed FACTS application. All aid is awarded on a yearly basis and is continued each subsequent year if the family's financial need is indicated on the FACTS report.
  
  Once enrolled at NDP, parents must make an application to FACTS each year to continue to receive grants or scholarships.
  
  More information regarding scholarships and financial aid will be provided during the admissions process.

• Step 7: Decisions

  Acceptance Letters will be postmarked no earlier than noon on February 17, 2027.
  
  Decision Emails will be sent, and the Admissions Portal will be updated, no earlier than 4:00 p.m. on February 18, 2027.
  
  

  PLEASE NOTE: If your daughter has not been accepted to NDP or has been added to the wait pool, you will not receive notification via postal mail—we will notify these families via email only.

• Step 8: Enrollment

  The deadline for enrollment is 4:00 p.m. on March 5, 2027. The contract signed by both parents and your deposit paid in full are due at this time.
  
  Failure to enroll by the deadline will result in the forfeiture of financial aid and awards. Some unclaimed financial aid will be reallocated to enrolled students in need of support.
  
  

  PLEASE NOTE: We understand some magnet schools do not offer admission until several days or weeks after our enrollment deadline of March 5. Unfortunately, we are unable to save space in the class without a contract and a non-refundable deposit. If you choose to wait and do not enroll by the March 5 deadline, and your family eventually decides NDP is the place for your daughter, she will be admitted if the class is not full.