Bates College vs College of the Holy Cross

Bates College and College of the Holy Cross, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bates, located in Lewiston, Maine, boasts a lower acceptance rate (13%) compared to Holy Cross's 43% in Worcester, Massachusetts. While Bates students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences, Holy Cross students lean towards STEM fields. Bates' student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 1,800 compared to Holy Cross's 2,900. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Bates at 93% and Holy Cross at 92%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	College of the Holy Cross
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Worcester, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	42.9%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	N/A	1240 - 1420
ACT range	N/A	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		40.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	6,498
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	2,786
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	821
Yield rate	43.6%	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	$77,870	$74,520
Average net price	$26,231	$29,198
Tuition	$59,062	$55,800
Room & board	$16,658	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)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	63.0% Average amount $33,661
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	38.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	13.0% Average amount $2,342

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	3.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,816	2,619
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	92.6%
Dropout rate	2.3%	1.8%
Transferred out	5.8%	4.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 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

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