This university matriculates a lot of Irish -- Fighting Irish, that is. University of Notre Dame du Lac is one the country's leading private universities, serving more than 11,000 students through its four undergraduate colleges, architecture school, law school, and graduate school. In addition, Notre Dame is home to 10 scientific research centers and offers special studies in more than 40 areas. The Catholic institution, which boasts such alumni as TV personality Regis Philbin and former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, is funded by an endowment of more than $2.5 billion. Notre Dame was established in 1842.