More selective than 84% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $80,334. College Scorecard.
Higher than 79% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 95% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 85% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
College of the Holy Cross acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,670 applicants, College of the Holy Cross admitted 1,829 and 823 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1240–1410 on the SAT or 27–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
College of the Holy Cross tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What College of the Holy Cross costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of College of the Holy Cross took 4.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,343 | $57,802 | 1.1 years |
| $30–48k | $16,179 | $65,201 | 1.3 years |
| $48–75k | $12,682 | $51,108 | 1.0 years |
| $75–110k | $27,711 | $111,675 | 2.2 years |
| $110k+ | $56,284 | $226,825 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.0 years, the average time graduates took (88% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($90,543) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $50,663 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
College of the Holy Cross majors, earnings & careers
College of the Holy Cross offers 44 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 19
- Science & Math · 8
- Arts & Design · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Business & Finance · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at College of the Holy Cross
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $118,131 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $114,088 | $27,000 |
| Physics | $99,165 | — |
| Mathematics | $96,927 | $27,000 |
| Chemistry | $93,122 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $92,914 | $27,000 |
| Political Science | $88,088 | $27,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $76,301 | $26,975 |
Quick list of all 44 majors
- Accounting$114,088
- Anthropology—
- Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$92,914
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Chemistry$93,122
- Classics$52,639
- Computer Science—
- Dance—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$118,131
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English$74,214
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- German—
- History$72,423
- International / Global Studies$71,280
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics$96,927
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$72,290
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physics$99,165
- Political Science$88,088
- Psychology$74,095
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$64,642
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$76,301
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Accounting → Accountant / auditor
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Worcester
Overall prices in the Worcester, MA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,659. Housing costs 13% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 73 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Worcester County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Worcester County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare College of the Holy Cross with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Holy Cross | 18% | $38,782 | 87% | $90,543 | This school |
| Babson College | 17% | $40,514 | 93% | $123,938 | |
| Smith College | 21% | $27,579 | 89% | $64,027 | |
| Wellesley College | 14% | $25,496 | 92% | $84,803 | |
| Williams College | 8% | $17,716 | 94% | $88,665 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
College of the Holy Cross would cost you $1,732 less per year than Babson College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at College of the Holy Cross, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$7,348).
- College of the Holy Cross gives aided families $1,874 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | College of the Holy Cross | Babson College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $64,500 | $57,152 | +$7,348 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,292 | −$292 |
| Housing & meals | $17,750 | $20,786 | −$3,036 |
| Personal & travel | $900 | $2,082 | −$1,182 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,816 | −$1,120 | −$2,696 |
| Sticker price | $80,334 | $80,192 | +$142 |
| Average grants | −$41,552 | −$39,678 | −$1,874 |
| You pay | $38,782 | $40,514 | −$1,732 |
“+” means College of the Holy Cross costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about College of the Holy Cross
What is the College of the Holy Cross acceptance rate?
College of the Holy Cross accepts 18% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,829 of 8,670 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1240–1410 on the SAT or 27–32 on the ACT.
How much does College of the Holy Cross cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $80,334 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $38,782 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $14,343 and families earning $110k+ pay $56,284.
How much do College of the Holy Cross graduates earn?
Former College of the Holy Cross students earn a median $90,543 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the College of the Holy Cross graduation rate?
87% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 95% return for their second year.
How long does a College of the Holy Cross degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at College of the Holy Cross costs about $51,108 after grants ($12,682 a year for 4.0 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $90,543 ten years after starting, $50,663 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 1.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is College of the Holy Cross the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing College of the Holy Cross with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “College of the Holy Cross: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-of-the-holy-cross (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).