In 1850 — just eight years after the University’s founding — Notre Dame welcomed its first international student, from Mexico. Since then, nearly 40,000 students from outside the United States have studied at Notre Dame. Today, international students from 107 countries comprise nearly 10 percent of the total student population.
In addition to this wide breadth of international representation, Notre Dame features students from all 50 states, two U.S. territories and Washington, D.C. Bringing these scholars together from various regions of this country and around the world serves to enrich the cultural and educational experience on campus. At Notre Dame, inquiry is a global language by which students from all backgrounds create shared knowledge that serves the cause of justice.
As a symbol of its diverse geographical makeup, the University installed a series of banners on light poles around the campus. These banners carry a flag from each country, state, or territory represented in our student body. They also include the phrase, “107 countries, 50 states, one home under the Dome,” a testament to our commitment that, while we come from different places, all are welcome in our campus community.
As the map above indicates, the banners are ordered alphabetically by the flag they represent. The display begins with Afghanistan on the east side of campus, then winds south before heading north again and ending near McCourtney Hall with the banner representing Zimbabwe. State and territory flags are presented alongside country flags in the ordering.
Represented States and Countries
- Afghanistan
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Argentina
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- California
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Costa Rica
- Czechia
- Delaware
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Florida
- France
- Georgia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Hawaii
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Idaho
- Illinois
- India
- Indiana
- Indonesia
- Iowa
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kansas
- Kazakhstan
- Kentucky
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Louisiana
- Luxembourg
- Maine
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mexico
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montana
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nebraska
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Territories
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Pennsylvania
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Republic of Korea
- Rhode Island
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Vermont
- Vietnam
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Viriginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Photography: Barbara Johnston
* Modified version of article originally published by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications