The ACC will allow Notre Dame to join the league this summer if the Fighting Irish can exit the Big East Conference, sources told ESPN.

Notre Dame intended to stay in the Big East through the 2013-14 season as long as the league's seven Catholic basketball schools remained. But those schools -- DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova -- are expected to announce in the coming days they are leaving the Big East to begin their own league on July 1.

Notre Dame officials have indicated previously that the Irish would seek an earlier exit from the Big East if the Catholic 7 schools departed before 2014. Notre Dame announced last year it was joining the ACC in all sports, except football.

ACC commissioner John Swofford and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick have said there wasn't a firm deadline in which Notre Dame would have to inform the ACC of its intention to join in 2013.

Last week, Swarbrick told ESPN's Matt Fortuna that each day that goes by makes it more difficult for the Fighting Irish to change leagues than the previous day.

Big East by-laws require that schools must provide 27 months' notice before leaving, so Notre Dame couldn't bolt from the league until 2015, unless the school negotiated an earlier exit.

The Big East previously offered Notre Dame the chance for an earlier exit if the Fighting Irish would schedule future football games against Big East opponents, a source said.

But Notre Dame, with five annual games against ACC opponents starting in 2014, told the Big East it didn't have any future openings and was unable to accommodate the request.

Notre Dame and the Big East now must come to an agreement if the Fighting Irish want to join the ACC this summer.