College of Our Lady of the Elms

Private · Moderately Selective · MA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads949

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate60.3%

6-yr grad rate68.1%

Drop-out rate24%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$43k

Out-of-state tuition$43k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity54.8%

Gender diversity72.9%

International1.7%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

The College of Our Lady of the Elms is a private Catholic college in Chicopee, Massachusetts, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph and long a women's college before becoming fully coeducational. It serves the Springfield area of western Massachusetts with a close, mission-driven campus culture.

Academics

Nursing and health sciences, education, and social work are the college's strongest and most established programs, each with clinical or field placements in the surrounding Springfield-area health and school systems. Class sizes are small, consistent with the college's size and Catholic liberal-arts heritage.

Campus & student life

The Chicopee campus is compact and residential, with the college's founding as a women's institution still visible in some traditions even as the student body has diversified. Western Massachusetts, including Springfield, gives students access to a mid-sized regional hub.

Worth knowing

Students in nursing and social work benefit from the college's long-standing placement relationships with area hospitals, schools, and social-service agencies, built over decades as an anchor institution for the region's health and human-services workforce.

elms.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate85.3%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying