College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

College of the Holy Cross admitted 17.6% of applicants university-wide (1,685 of 9,568).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide17.6%1,6859,568
Early Decision (binding)67.1%511761
Men17.7%7944,481
Women17.5%8905,084

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 67.1%, vs 17.6% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Of 1,685 admitted students, 835 enrolled (49.6% yield).

College of the Holy Cross U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1270–1420
ACT (mid-50%)
28–32
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.25–3.99

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

College of the Holy Cross U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $86,820/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$64,500
Fees, housing, food, books & other$22,320
Sticker cost of attendance$86,820/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$14,343
$30k–48k$16,179
$48k–75k$12,682
$75k–110k$27,711
Over $110k$56,284

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Founders Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • St. Ignatius Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Athletic Scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
  • Holy Cross Need-Based Grant for International Students — Varies (up to full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
  • Holy Cross Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Need-Based Grant — Varies (Need Based)
  • Presidential Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Founders Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • St. Ignatius Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Athletic Scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
  • Holy Cross Need-Based Grant for International Students — Varies (up to full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
  • Holy Cross Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Need-Based Grant — Varies (Need Based)
  • Presidential Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

College of the Holy Cross U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Application (Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir)
  • High School Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendation
  • Early Decision Agreement Form
  • Personal Interview (recommended)
  • Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • Supplementary Materials (optional)
  • Additional Letters of Recommendation (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Application (Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir)
  • High School Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendation
  • Early Decision Agreement Form
  • Personal Interview (recommended)
  • Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • Supplementary Materials (optional)
  • Additional Letters of Recommendation (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

College of the Holy Cross · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:

  1. The College of the Holy Cross has a mission to educate students to live lives of meaning and purpose. How will you contribute to our community of learning and discovery?500 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$90,543
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
87.3%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
93%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$27,000
At graduation

College of the Holy Cross · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #27
  • WSJ: #58
  • Forbes: #74
  • Niche: #109

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-15Early Decision — Binding early round
  • 2027-01-15Regular Decision — Standard deadline

College of the Holy Cross U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C21–C22 · 2023

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (33%), Biological & life sciences (13%), Psychology (12%).

Student–faculty ratio: 10:1 · 66% of class sections have under 20 students.

College of the Holy Cross U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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