Is Notre Dame or Fordham better for New York jobs?

The biggest practical tradeoff is proximity versus brand reach: Fordham puts you in New York during college, which makes semester internships, networking events, and in-person recruiting much easier, while Notre Dame gives you a nationally powerful alumni network and broader name recognition in some fields, but from South Bend rather than from inside the city.

For getting New York experience before graduation, Fordham has a real advantage. Being in the Bronx and tied closely to Manhattan means students can intern during the academic year, build contacts over multiple semesters, and get familiar with the city’s hiring rhythm before senior year. That matters a lot in industries like finance, media, communications, nonprofit work, fashion-adjacent business, and many corporate roles where repeated in-person exposure helps.

Notre Dame still places plenty of graduates in New York, especially through its alumni network, which is known for being unusually loyal and responsive. In fields like consulting, finance, certain large corporate employers, and some selective post-grad pipelines, Notre Dame can carry more national weight and may open doors beyond New York as well. But most students aiming for NYC will need to be more intentional about travel, summer internships, and networking from a distance.

So if your question is specifically about the smoothest path to New York internships and entry-level jobs while you are still in college, Fordham has the cleaner setup. If you want the school with the stronger overall national pull and are confident you will actively chase New York from outside the city, Notre Dame can absolutely get you there, but it is a less immediate route.

My honest read is that Fordham gives you the more direct New York launchpad, while Notre Dame is the stronger name in a broader sense. For a student whose priority is New York access itself, not just prestige, Fordham is the better bet.