Testing

In Phase 2 of the University’s reopening plan, the University is taking the necessary steps to institute a comprehensive testing protocol in close partnership with local and state health officials.

The University has engaged LabCorp, a global leader in healthcare diagnostics with one of the largest laboratory networks in the country, including a laboratory in South Bend, in a partnership for the procurement of diagnostic and antibody tests and to establish an efficient and effective procedure for the processing of tests. 

Additional information on testing will be available once the protocol is finalized.

Pre-matriculation Testing

As part of our health and safety guidelines for returning to campus, all enrolled Notre Dame undergraduate and graduate students are required to undergo pre-matriculation testing. The University implementing a program to distribute tests to students in late July and for University Health Services to receive the results from LabCorp before students return to campus. An email to students outlined the details of the pre-matriculation testing process.

Any student who tests positive will be asked to refrain from returning to campus until they are medically cleared to do so.

To ensure students receive the pre-matriculation testing kit at the proper location, they are encouraged to review the address on file.

On-site Testing Center

The University will have an on-site testing center located at Gate D of Notre Dame Stadium for those with symptoms of COVID-19 or for those who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Testing at the on-site center will be free to all currently enrolled Notre Dame students, all faculty teaching or conducting research on campus during the fall semester, and all staff who are working on campus. The campus testing site will supplement testing available to all members of the campus community through their physicians’ offices and other locations in the county.

Surveillance Testing

Surveillance testing refers to the notion of randomly screening community members to assess baseline rates of infection or prior exposure to the infection, including determining rates of asymptomatic infection. The University is working with relevant medical experts and our own faculty (Alex Perkins, Jenna Coalson, and Bernard Nahlen) to identify an approach to surveillance testing that would make sense for the campus. Many different approaches exist, and testing technology continues to evolve. Determining the approach the University will take for surveillance will require some further exploration, investigation, and modeling.