Amherst College vs College of the Holy Cross

Amherst College and College of the Holy Cross, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, known for its rigorous academics and vibrant student life, boasts an acceptance rate of 13.2% and a diverse student body representing 50 states and 70 countries. On the other hand, College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit institution with a strong emphasis on social justice, has an acceptance rate of 44.4% and a student body predominantly from the Northeast. While Amherst's popular majors include Economics, English, and Political Science, Holy Cross offers strengths in Biology, Economics, and Psychology. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst at 94% and Holy Cross at 92%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	College of the Holy Cross
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Worcester, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	42.9%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	1240 - 1420
ACT range	32 - 34	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	40.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	6,498
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	2,786
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	821
Yield rate	42.1%	29.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$74,520
Average net price	$18,809	$29,198
Tuition	$60,700	$55,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	63.0% Average amount $33,661
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	38.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	13.0% Average amount $2,342

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	3.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,000	2,619
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	92.6%
Dropout rate	2.5%	1.8%
Transferred out	3.6%	4.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,775 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,870 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,970 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $85,992 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,271 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,030 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $53,743 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,419 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $46,160 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,744 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,173 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,896 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,310 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,612 Year 2: $66,519 Year 3: $81,782 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,599 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $72,640 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,229 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $60,341 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,588 Year 2: $44,590 Year 3: $59,114 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,436 Year 2: $46,357 Year 3: $58,346 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,146 Year 2: $42,363 Year 3: $57,920 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,425 Year 2: $42,309 Year 3: $54,005 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,352 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $50,696 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,359 Year 2: $45,175 Year 3: $49,457 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,474 Year 2: $42,458 Year 3: $47,527

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Amherst College vs College of the Holy Cross

Amherst College

College of the Holy Cross

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About