Hi all! I got an email today from ND inviting me to the Reilly Spring Visit Program. When I did a bit do research online, I saw that the Reilly Weekend and Spring Visit were two different things in the past. I was just wondering why the name would be a bit different, and what people’s general experiences with the weekend are? Thanks! 
Congrats, and impressive, @ndhopeful2022 . Don’t worry about the name; I think “Spring Visit” just means anyone who wants to tour during the spring is welcome. Reilly Weekend is reserved for the kids they really want to go there. I hope someone with first-hand knowledge can chime in but it sounds like a great opportunity.
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Yes, @Magnetron is right. ND is trying to woo you. Congratulations!
Reilly is invitation only. Invites go to the top 1% or so of ND applicants, which (with a 20% overall admit rate) would be about the top 5% or so of admitted students. So definitely kids ND is trying to target and close. Great program – you should go if you can fit it in.
All the REA admitted kids can also visit during February for the open houses done by each of the undergrad colleges. My kid did that instead of Reilly (for scheduling reasons). It was an excellent program, not too big, and provided a lot of good academic info along with being able to spend a weekend on campus and stay over in the dorms. Plus, you’ll get a chance to experience realistic ND weather – cold!!
Note that it can get tough to fit in on-campus visits as you get later in the spring semester – proms, finals, and visits to other schools that you just got admitted to RD at the end of March. Mid and late April can get really crazy.
My daughter also missed the Reilly weekend due to scheduling problems, so she just attended the admitted students weekend and added a stay over in the dorm with a current student we know (otherwise that would not have been possible on that weekend). If you are seriously considering ND, it is worth it to consider attending Reilly weekend if you are able to. One of the reasons we were so disappointed to miss it was because ND pays all your expenses (including travel) for the weekend. If you live far away like we do, that can be a big advantage over a visit on another weekend.
Thanks for then insight, everyone! Reilly weekend sounds like a great opportunity to explore campus—definitely something I’m interested in attending!
My DD got a Reilly invite also! She is super excited and can’t wait to attend. Does anyone know if these kids are likely to receive any of the merit scholarships?
There’s only about 60 merit schollies per ND enrolled class. There’s many more Reilly invites than that.
So many schollie kids will have gotten Reilly invites. But few Reilly invitees will end up getting merit schollies.
I am late but let me help clarify. In the past Reilly and Spring Visit were separate programs. I was privileged to have been invited on Spring Visit last year (I am a ND freshman), but because of feedback, and because people felt like Spring Visit alone did not give an accurate representation of the Notre Dame experience (it makes ND look more Diverse than it is), they have decided to combine the programs. This is the first year they are doing it. Congratulations on the invitation!
The students on Spring Vis may very well be the top appliers as well, but they tend to be First Generation, underrepresented, low income students, who had stand out applications. Regardless of which part of “Reilly Spring” Visit you’re apart of, you’re an amazing student and probably an amazing person, and you were picked because you deserve it!
Both my friend and I are finalists for merit scholarships, but neither of us were invited to Reilly Weekend. Was anyone invited to both?
My son received an email invite for the Reilly visit yesterday.
Yes, received invite Friday!
@sbe2934 Congrats to you and your friend for being finalists! Good luck to you both as you proceed! My kid is also a finalist and didn’t receive an invitation to the Reilly Spring Visit Program. Like the Merit Scholar Selection Visit (MSSV), the Reilly program is all expense paid visit. I learned from the ND website’s description that:
Invitations to the Reilly Spring Visit Program are extended to a select group of students. Chosen from among our highest-achieving applicants, Reilly Spring Visit invitees demonstrate an impressive academic record along with intellectual curiosity, strong leadership skills, and dedication to service. To provide a personalized experience, the Reilly Spring Visit Program will be limited to around 150 students.
So this is a really big deal, and very likely, ND’s attempt to “woo” certain applicants. But it’s separate from MSSV and the FAQs specifically say that it’s not a merit scholarship or honors program. I’m guessing – and only guessing – that ND sends an invitation to one or the other depending on their screening of an applicant.
tl;dr I think ND invites students either Merit Scholar or Reilly Spring visit, but not both.
And Congratulations to all applicants who received invitations to the Reilly Spring Visit, and best wishes on your college careers!
My S, who applied RD, received an invite to Reilly Spring Weekend this past Friday. He has not been invited to apply to the Honors Program, or to compete for a merit scholarship. I am assuming that ND uses the Reilly weekend to “seal the deal” for students that they want, but are not offering any other perks for these students to attend. Anybody have any insight about this?
My S has very high stats, but only applied to schools that offer merit aid. I expect that ND will not be affordable for us without it. At least we will find out about need-based aid before registration closes for the Reilly weekend, but we’re not expecting much. I also appreciate that ND set the Reilly registration date late enough that admissions decisions from other schools should be known also.
My DD was accepted ED and invited to Reilly back in January. She is attending April 7-10. Is this the same weekend for you or are they having another later weekend for RD?
@Virgmom Different weekend later in April
@JadeyBabey4 oh well I’m a white male who’s not low income and I was invited… how many people receive the offer and how many people go? I’m trying to work through schedule adjustments and be able to attend but if i have to come a little late and leave a little early, is that okay??
Also, I was a semi finalist for the merit scholarships but didn’t end up receiving any (I didn’t try real hard cause I wasn’t sure how interested in ND I would be)… I don’t really think there’s too much of a correlation between the two so I wouldn’t dwell on an invite to one or the other
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I got invited too and I’m confused! I literally haven’t gotten in any other schools besides my safety, so I’m really wondering what about ny application makes Notre Dame like me so much…?
And I’m low income too btw… I’m nervous that I wouldn’t be able to attend because it’s too expensive 
@Nuolong The Reilly weekend is all expenses paid for the student, including airfare. If you have questions you should call the admissions office. Don’t miss out because you think you can’t afford it, when I believe they will cover all your costs