New EnglandUrbanPrivate4-yearSocial & Science

College of the Holy Cross

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

Worcester, MA3,106 students
Acceptance Rate
18%
selective
Median SAT
1,330
Middle 50%: 1240–1410
Net Price After Aid
$35.5k
Sticker $55.8k
Graduation Rate
90%
6-year, full-time

College of the Holy Cross is a private institution in Worcester, MA with an acceptance rate of 18% and 3,106 students. The middle 50% of admitted students score 1240–1410 on the SAT. The average net price after financial aid is $35,455 per year.

About College of the Holy Cross

A private 4-year urban university in Worcester, MA.

College of the Holy Cross campus
Campus · Worcester

College of the Holy Cross is a college in Worcester, MA. It enrolls roughly 3,106 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 18%. Admitted students typically score between 1240 and 1410 on the SAT.

New EnglandUrbanPrivate4-yearSocial & Science
Acceptance Rate
18%
Selective
Total Enrollment
3,106
Medium
Retention
95%
First-years returning
Graduation Rate
90%
6-year, full-time

Your chances at this school

What admitted students look like here. Sign in to see how your own profile compares.

Acceptance Rate
18%
18 of every 100 applicants admitted
Your Chances
Sign in to see your personalized chances.
Admitted Student GPA
—

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

What strengthens an application here

  1. SAT scores of 1240 to 1410
    The middle half of admitted students scored in this range. A score in the upper part of it strengthens an application.
  2. Depth in one or two activities
    Sustained commitment, a leadership role, or a result in a few activities says more than a long list of memberships.

Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.

Admissions

What it actually takes to get into College of the Holy Cross. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.

Admitted student profile

Range shown is the middle 50%.

SAT
composite, 1600 scale
1,2501,410
1,330
average
ACT
composite, 36 scale
2732
30
average
GPA
weighted, 4.5 max
—

This school doesn't require test scores, so these ranges reflect only students who chose to submit — applicants who submit tend to have higher scores. The real admitted range likely runs lower. Don't rule yourself out on scores alone.

Application requirements

  • Personal essay required
  • Portfolio (SlideRoom)
  • 1 teacher eval
  • Counselor rec required
  • Mid-year report
  • Test-optional
  • $65 application fee
  • Accepts fee waiver

Deadlines (2026-27)

Early Decision
Nov 15, 2026
Early Decision 2
Jan 15, 2027
Regular Decision
Jan 15, 2027

Source: Common App 2026-27 requirements grid (verified Aug 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.

Cost & financial aid

Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at College of the Holy Cross after grants and scholarships.

Sticker price
—
Tuition $55,800
Average net price after aid
$35,455
45% of students receive financial aid

Net price by family income

Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.

$0 – $30,000
$14,900
$30,001 – $48,000
$6,282
$48,001 – $75,000
$20,722
$75,001 – $110,000
N/A
$110,001 +
$51,228

Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.

Pell Grant Recipients
15%
Need-based federal grant
Take Federal Loans
38%
Avg loan $25,879 / year
Avg Grant Aid
—
Per receiving student / year

Academics & majors

Where students at College of the Holy Cross concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Class-size proxy
Primary Focus
Social & Science
35% of degrees awarded
Retention
95%
First-years returning
A breakdown of the top majors by share of degrees awarded ships once we finish backfilling per-school program data.

Student body

Who attends College of the Holy Cross. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.

Race & ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Asian3%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Black5%
  • Two or more races4%
  • International3%

Gender

  • Female54%
  • Male46%
International
3%
Of total enrollment
Live on Campus
—
Undergraduate residential rate
Total Enrollment
3,106

Outcomes after graduation

What College of the Holy Cross graduates do next — and what they earn.

Median Earnings
$90.5k
10 years after enrollment
Employed at 2 yrs
—
Working or in grad school
Pursue Grad School
—
Within 5 years
Graduation Rate
90%
6-year, full-time

Is it worth it?

Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.

Median earnings
$90.5k
10 yrs after entry
Typical debt
$25.9k
median, borrowers only
Avg. net price
$35.5k/yr
after aid
  • These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
  • Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
  • Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
  • Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.

What this means

$91k is well above the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 90% graduation rate puts College of the Holy Cross in the top tier nationally.

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