BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·holycross.edu
6-yr Graduation
87%
-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
3,126
peer median 2,541
Avg net price
$36,868
+$9.0k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
9,568
9,568 candidates competed
Admitted
1,685
17.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
835
49.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
87%-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
85%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
87%
Full-time retention
95%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
90%
Non-Pell
87%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 31 Title IV programs, 15 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 16 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
31
Passing
15
48.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

31programs
  • Passing15 · 48.4%
  • No Data16 · 51.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
15
No data
16

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

15
Classics and Classical Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+51.2%
$52,639 vs $34,808
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+85.7%
$64,642 vs $34,808
International/Globalization Studies
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+104.8%
$71,280 vs $34,808
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+107.7%
$72,290 vs $34,808
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+108.1%
$72,423 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+112.9%
$74,095 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+113.2%
$74,214 vs $34,808
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+119.2%
$76,301 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

14
Classics and Classical Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,639 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
39%
$25,486 debt · $64,642 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
37%
$27,000 debt · $72,423 earn
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
37%
$26,866 debt · $72,290 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
36%
$27,000 debt · $74,095 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
36%
$27,000 debt · $74,214 earn
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
35%
$26,950 debt · $76,301 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
31%
$27,000 debt · $88,088 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1930Next review Dec 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Nov 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation · Theatre (THEA) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
  3. Sep 2010Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,900
$30–48k$6,282
$48–75k$20,722
$75–110k$29,535
$110k+$51,228

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$36,868
+$8,997vs Baccalaureate median $27,872
Federal loans
40.2%
In-state tuition
$60,850
Out-of-state
$60,850

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 541 students received $3.3M in Pell grants, alongside $14.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
541
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.3M
$3,339,993 total
Direct Loans
$14.7M
1,625 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.7M
657 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.9M
770 loan awards
Parent PLUS$8.1M
198 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 502 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
502
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.8%
2017
0.5%
2018
1.2%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at College of the Holy Cross

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs30
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

821 total completions
01Social Sciences
29636.1%
02Psychology
11413.9%
03Biological Sciences
8910.8%
04Multi/Interdisciplinary
576.9%
05English Language
556.7%
06Physical Sciences
526.3%
07History
516.2%
08Foreign Languages
455.5%
09Mathematics
323.9%
10Visual/Performing Arts
303.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,126
12-mo unduplicated
3,310
Undergraduate
3,310
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
45%1,493
Women
55%1,817

Race / ethnicity composition

White
71.2%
Hispanic
11.8%
Black
4.2%
Two or more
3.9%
Asian
3.3%
Unknown
2.8%
Non-resident
2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
697
400 M · 297 W
Women athletes
42.6%
Athletic aid
$13.8M
Total student aid
Budget
$32.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$7.9M
$6.0M
Recruiting expense
$418K
$199K
Head-coach salaries
$118K
$79K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
82 M · 113 W
$902K
Football
107 M ·
$7.7M
Rowing
51 M · 41 W
$986K
Lacrosse
45 M · 32 W
$1.7M
Soccer
29 M · 33 W
$2.0M
Ice Hockey
29 M · 24 W
$4.5M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.59
8 offenses · 3,083 students

3-year trend

3.372 yrs ago3.961 yr ago2.59Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
30
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
17
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
4
Motor vehicle theft
3
Arson
1

By location

8total
  • On campus7
  • Public property1

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
5
Stalking
7 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs02
Liquor096

Residence-hall fires

  • Hanselman Hall1 fire
    A student intentionally started a fire in a trash can in the common room while socializing with friends.Damage $0-$99

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
333

College of the Holy Cross vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions College of the Holy Cross selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCollege of the Holy Cross
87%3,126$36,868Baccalaureate
Smith College
89%21.0%2,857$26,181Baccalaureate
Stonehill College
76%66.3%2,674$29,969Baccalaureate
Mount Holyoke College
84%36.0%2,275$29,562Baccalaureate
Wellesley College
92%14.0%2,407$25,008Baccalaureate
Williams College
94%8.3%2,164$14,852Baccalaureate
Peer group median88%21.0%2,541$27,872

Frequently asked questions about College of the Holy Cross

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about College of the Holy Cross.

What is the graduation rate at College of the Holy Cross?

College of the Holy Cross reports a 6-year graduation rate of 87% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend College of the Holy Cross?

College of the Holy Cross reports a total enrollment of 3,126 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at College of the Holy Cross?

The average net price at College of the Holy Cross is $36,868 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at College of the Holy Cross?

College of the Holy Cross's yield rate is 49.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is College of the Holy Cross located?

College of the Holy Cross is located in Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-2395.

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