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College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross turned away roughly 79% of its 8,670 applicants in the Fall 2023 cycle — selective enough that the middle-50% ranges below deserve a careful read.
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College of the Holy Cross sits in Worcester proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. The school maintains its Roman Catholic affiliation, which threads through campus life to a degree that varies by program.
Its highest-earning path is Economics, where graduates median $118,131 four years out. Faculty pay averages $148,356 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 3,106 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 94.8% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1250 and 1420 — near the MA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on College of the Holy Cross's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
Scores help here but aren't the gate. If your SAT sits inside the 1250–1420 submitter range, sending it likely helps; below it, College of the Holy Cross's own policy says you can leave it out.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 630 | 680 | 720 |
| SAT Math | 620 | 660 | 700 |
| ACT Composite | 28 | 30 | 32 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, College of the Holy Cross received 8,670 applications and admitted 1,829 (21.1%), with 823 enrolling.
How College of the Holy Cross compares
| College of the Holy Cross | Massachusetts median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 17.6% | 70.7% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $64,500 | $46,700 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $90,543 | $62,832 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median College of the Holy Cross student earns $90,543 — 44% above the Massachusetts median of $62,832 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
College of the Holy Cross lists tuition at $64,500 for everyone — private schools don't do residency pricing. College of the Holy Cross's sticker and net price can differ sharply after aid; treat $64,500 as the ceiling, not the bill.
College of the Holy Cross enrolls 3,106 undergraduates — mid-sized, with the trade-offs College of the Holy Cross's scale implies: more programs than a small college, more anonymity too.
87.3% of College of the Holy Cross students finish a bachelor's within six years — 32.5 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $64,500 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at College of the Holy Cross
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Economics | $118,131 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $114,088 |
| Physics | $99,165 |
| Mathematics | $96,927 |
| Chemistry | $93,122 |
| Biology, General | $92,914 |
| Political Science and Government | $88,088 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $76,301 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $74,214 |
| Psychology, General | $74,095 |
| History | $72,423 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $72,290 |
| International/Globalization Studies | $71,280 |
| Sociology | $64,642 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $52,639 |
Median earnings for these 15 College of the Holy Cross programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $90,543 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 29 additional College of the Holy Cross programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for College of the Holy Cross?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1250–1420 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 17.6% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is College of the Holy Cross's acceptance rate?
21.1% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,829 admitted from 8,670 applicants.
How much does College of the Holy Cross cost?
At College of the Holy Cross, published tuition is $64,500 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is College of the Holy Cross's ceiling, not a quote.
What do College of the Holy Cross graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $90,543 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Massachusetts
- Boston College — 16.4% admitted
- Babson College — 17.1% admitted
- Smith College — 21% admitted
- Franklin W Olin College of Engineering — 25.2% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.