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
$38,782
+$12k 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

3.1pp gap
Pell recipients
90%111 of 123
Non-Pell (all)
87%647 of 745
Subsidized loan, no Pell
87%220 of 254
No Federal Aid
87%427 of 491

Pell recipients here graduate at a 3.1-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

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

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

Avg net price (private)
$38,782
+$11,772vs Baccalaureate median $27,010
Federal loans
37.7%
In-state tuition
$64,500
Out-of-state
$64,500

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
$3,339,155 total
Direct Loans
$14.7M
1,623 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
656 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.9M
769 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 programs31
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

828 total completions
01Social Sciences
27433.1%
02Biological Sciences
10712.9%
03Psychology
10212.3%
04Physical Sciences
597.1%
05Mathematics
587.0%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
546.5%
07English Language
526.3%
08Foreign Languages
516.2%
09History
364.3%
10Visual/Performing Arts
354.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
3,126
12-mo unduplicated
3,234
Undergraduate
3,234
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%1,478
Women
54%1,756

Race / ethnicity composition

White
68.3%
Hispanic
12.8%
Black
4.7%
Two or more
4.1%
Unknown
3.5%
Non-resident
3.2%
Asian
3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
712
407 M · 305 W
Women athletes
42.8%
Athletic aid
$14.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$34.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$8.2M
$6.5M
Recruiting expense
$441K
$165K
Head-coach salaries
$120K
$78K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
84 M · 122 W
$998K
Football
100 M ·
$8.0M
Rowing
54 M · 40 W
$1.1M
Lacrosse
48 M · 34 W
$2.2M
Soccer
34 M · 33 W
$2.2M
Ice Hockey
28 M · 26 W
$5.0M

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
2.31
7 offenses · 3,035 students

3-year trend

3.962 yrs ago2.591 yr ago2.31Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
27
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
25
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
3
Rape
2
Burglary
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

7total
  • On campus7

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
8
Stalking
14 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs02
Liquor163

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

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$38,782Baccalaureate
89%21.0%2,857$27,579Baccalaureate
76%66.3%2,674$33,016Baccalaureate
84%36.0%2,275$26,441Baccalaureate
92%14.0%2,407$25,496Baccalaureate
94%8.3%2,164$17,716Baccalaureate
Peer group median88%21.0%2,541$27,010

Institutions like College of the Holy Cross

Explore the federal data for institutions in College of the Holy Cross's comparison group.

College of the Holy Cross Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research & Analytics
Email
cwenz [at] holycross.edu
Phone
508-793-2354
Address
1 College Street, 159 O’Kane, Worcester, MA 01610-2395

The Office of Institutional Research & Analytics is responsible for accumulating, maintaining, and sharing the College’s institutional history. The office maintains data on key student, staffing, and financial trends that are communicated to senior management and shared with the various college guidebooks.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Chris Wenze
    Director of Institutional Research & Analytics

Common Data Set

College of the Holy Cross's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

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 $38,782 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.

Who runs Institutional Research at College of the Holy Cross?

College of the Holy Cross's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research & Analytics.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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