College of the Holy Cross

Private · Highly Selective · MA

Photo: Quintin Soloviev (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,106

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate85.2%

6-yr grad rate87.3%

Drop-out rate5.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$65k

Out-of-state tuition$65k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity31.7%

Gender diversity54%

International3.2%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Holy Cross is a Jesuit liberal arts college on Mount St. James, a hilltop overlooking Worcester, Massachusetts, and it is undergraduate-only — a genuine rarity among Jesuit institutions, meaning every dollar of faculty time and research resource goes to undergraduates rather than being shared with a graduate school. Founded in 1843 as the first Catholic college in New England, it carries one of the oldest and most respected classics traditions in American Catholic higher education alongside a strong pre-professional preparation culture.

Academics

Pre-med and pre-law preparation are particular strengths, supported by rigorous core requirements and small classes taught entirely by faculty rather than graduate teaching assistants, since there are no graduate students to compete for that attention. The Montserrat program, a distinctive first-year seminar sequence organized around shared thematic clusters, gives every incoming student a small, discussion-based introduction to college-level work before they even declare a major. The classics and humanities departments carry deep institutional history and remain unusually strong for a college of this size.

Campus & student life

The hilltop campus overlooks Worcester, and student life is close and residential, with athletics in the Patriot League — the Crusaders — playing a real role in campus identity and school spirit. The Jesuit mission shows up concretely in service programs and a visible emphasis on formation alongside academics, and because the college has no graduate students, campus social life is entirely organized around the undergraduate class years living together.

Getting in

Admissions is holistic, and the college is known for reading applications closely rather than leaning on formulas, with genuine interest in fit with its Jesuit, undergraduate-focused mission rather than pure academic metrics. Essays and a demonstrated interest in the liberal arts core, along with the Montserrat program's exploratory spirit, matter to an admissions process that prizes intellectual seriousness over polish.

After graduation

The alumni network is famously devoted and active in placing graduates, particularly into medicine, law, and business in the Northeast, and the college's undergraduate-only focus means alumni loyalty is unusually concentrated on the college itself rather than divided with a graduate school or professional program. Pre-med placement into medical school is a particular point of pride, reflecting the strength of the college's science preparation.

Worth knowing

Being undergraduate-only is a real differentiator: all faculty attention, research opportunities, and resources go to undergraduates, with no graduate students or teaching assistants competing for spots. The Montserrat first-year program is worth understanding before applying, since it shapes every student's first year regardless of intended major, organizing coursework around broad thematic questions rather than a single department.

holycross.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate17.6%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1240–1410 · ACT 27–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 15

Regular decisionJan 15

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Coalition (Scoir).

Early decision IIJan 15

Financial aid formsJan 15

Early Decision I and II are binding commitments to enroll if admitted, while Regular Decision — due the same day as Early Decision II — is not binding.

Interviews: Interviews are strongly recommended: Early Decision I applicants interview by November 15, and Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants interview by December 5.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗