Getting To Know: College of the Holy Cross (MA)-Again

Published by Stuart Nachbar at April 18, 2026

Holy Cross is not the place for students who are looking for Greek life or a pastoral campus setting.

Worcester has its charms, as well as amenities, such as a civic center, that you will find in college towns that host a very large state university. However, it is difficult to call Worcester a college town; the campuses are not close together, nor do students at the colleges mingle very much.

Holy Cross is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the US and one of three in New England.

Boston College and Fairfield University (CT) are the others. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is also the oldest Catholic college in New England. A National Liberal Arts College, it has more than 3,100 undergraduates. Among the top 50 National Liberal Arts Colleges, as ranked in U.S. News, Holy Cross is the highest-ranked school (27th) that has a religious affiliation. An all-male school until 1975, Holy Cross’ enrollment is now 55 percent female.

It’s tough to get into Holy Cross.

The college posted data for the Class of 2028, reporting an acceptance rate of 18%. More interesting, nearly half of those admitted decided to come.

Admissions have been test optional since 2005. The middle 50 percent who submitted SAT scores scored between 1280 and 1430. Among those who took the ACT the middle 50 percent scored between 29 and 33. Scores are Considered. Applicants may also include samples of original work in their application. Intercviews are recommended.

Pay attention to the Early Decision deadline.

Holy Cross has a slightly later Early Decision I deadline (November 15th) than many selective colleges. The college has an option for Early Decision II (deadline January 15th). About half of the class is admitted through Early Decision. Holy Cross attracts 40 percent of its student body from Massachusetts through it recruits quite aggressively in the rest of New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the West Coast.

It is best to be as strong as possible in every subject, even the subjects where a student would consider themselves to be weak.

Holy Cross expects you to try all of them as you work towards a degree. In this respect Holy Cross is very much like the smaller Ivy League schools, Columbia and Dartmouth ,as well as more selective liberal arts college such as Bowdoin or Colby. It is not a place where a pure scientist will avoid the humanities; nor will a pure humanist avoid the natural or physical sciences.

Students who commit to Holy Cross usually stay.

The most recent freshman retention rate for 2024 was 95% and the recent four-year graduation rate is 85 percent, These are excellent results for any school of any size.

Which other schools are considered?

Applicants cast a fairly wide net.

Holy Cross is cross-shopped most often against Boston College, a larger and more comprehensive Jesuit university, as well as Notre Dame and Georgetown, both among the most selective Catholic universities in the U.S. It is also considered versus New England liberal arts colleges such as Bates, Bowdoin, Colby,Trinity and Wesleyan. A member of the Patriot League, a NCAA Division 1 (scholarship)athletic conference for several sports, Holy Cross is also likely to be considered against league rivals Bucknell, Colgate and Lafayette; these three are also liberal arts colleges.

Costs might work out.

Holy Cross is very expensive. For next year all direct costs, tuition & fees, room & board, will approach $92,000. However, the college commits tomeeting 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for those considered to have demonstrated need via the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Those who enrolled in 2024 and determined to have need received an average need-based scholarship in excess of $50,000.
The average merit scholarship was just over $22,000.
Average student loan indebtedness for 2024 graduates was just over $21,000. This is $6,000 less than graduates could borrow over four years from the Federal Student Loan Program. Approximately 60% of the class had no student loan debt, high for a private school.

This is a very well-endowed school.

According to the National Association of College and University Business Officers, Holy Cross’ endowment exceeded $1.2 billion at the end of FY 2025.

Holy Cross does not pretend to be anything other than a traditional liberal arts college

That means a rigorous curriculum.. In addition to completing a major of 10 to 14 courses, Holy Cross students must complete a common core of 12 courses. Like other Jesuit schools, Holy Cross requires courses in theology and philosophy. The remaining courses can be combined with the core to add a second major, minor(s) or a concentrations (s).

The college requires freshmen to take a year-long Montserrat Seminar.

Named for the Spanish mountain climbed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, Montserrat Seminars are grouped into six different thematic clusters (Contemporary Challenges, Core Human Questions, Divine, Global Society, Natural World, and Self).

Unlike freshman seminars at many other schools, the Montserrat Seminar is more of a “big picture” course about an issue or problem.It carries a workload similar to any other freshman course.

Holy Cross does not expect freshmen to commit to a major until the middle of the sophomore year, but they can declare after their first semester if faculty consider them to be ready.

You’re likely to see small classes most of the way. Just under two-thirds of all classes have fewer than 20 students.

The Holy Cross campus looks and feels expensive.

This befits its stature as one of the oldest colleges in New England. The college has done an excellent job in maintaining itsolder buildings as well its modern student center and administrative offices. With most of the student body living on campus, Holy Cross takes community traditions, social and religious, quite seriously, probably more than most other liberal arts colleges. I dropped some campus photos below.

The campus is situated on a hilltop overlooking Worcester, giving it a suburban feel within a city location.

.Unlike schools such as Colgate or Wesleyan, where you walk from campus into a downtown, you must take a bus or have access to a car to travel within Worcester or to other places.

Holy Cross is also more a “spirit and sports” school, than other liberal arts colleges.

This is mainly because of its Patriot League affiliation and because so many students are also athletes. Boston Celtics Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn played for Holy Cross. They later won championship rings and coached. Thanks in part to Cousy, who later coached at Boston College and in the NBA, the Crusaders were NCAA Champions in 1947 and made the Final Four the following season. Holy Cross is the only Massachusetts school to win an NCAA title. The Crusaders have won six Patriot League titles, the last coming in 2016.

Holy Cross competes in 27 D-1 variety sports. Within Massachusetts only Harvard and Boston College play more at the D-1 level. The Crusaders have made the Football Championship Series playoffs five times since 2000. More recently, in 2025, they were Atlantic Hockey America Conference Champions in Men’s Ice Hockey.

Conclusions

If someone tells you that Holy Cross is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States, don’t argue.

Report Card: College of the Holy Cross