College of the Holy Cross vs Hillsdale College

College of the Holy Cross and Hillsdale College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Holy Cross, a Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, boasts a 44% acceptance rate, while Hillsdale, a private liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, maintains a highly selective 30% acceptance rate. Holy Cross students pursue diverse majors, with popular choices including Economics, Biology, and Psychology. In contrast, Hillsdale's curriculum emphasizes the liberal arts, with popular majors such as English, History, and Political Science. Both colleges foster vibrant student communities, with Holy Cross's student body comprising 34% students of color and Hillsdale's student body being predominantly White. While Holy Cross boasts a higher graduation rate of 92%, Hillsdale's 88% graduation rate is still commendable. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
College of the Holy Cross logo

College of the Holy Cross

Hillsdale College logo

Hillsdale College

Overview

Location Worcester, Massachusetts Hillsdale, Michigan
Campus setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 96.0% 94.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic Undenominational

Admission

Acceptance rate 42.9% 23.7%
Application fees $60
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $25
SAT range 1240 - 1420 1340 - 1510
ACT range 28 - 32 30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 40.0% 22.0%
Students submitting ACT score 19.0% 38.0%
Total number of applicants 6,498 2,994
Total number of admissions given out 2,786 709
Admitted students who chose to enroll 821 397
Yield rate 29.5% 56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $74,520 $45,382
Average net price $29,198 $24,057
Tuition $55,800 $28,730
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,800

Meal plan: $7,280
Room/dormitory: $6,020

Meal plan: $6,120
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

63.0%
Average amount $33,661
100.0%
Average amount $20,535
Students receiving federal student loan 38.0%
Average amount $5,151
0.0%
Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans 13.0%
Average amount $2,342
34.0%
Average amount $10,497

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 3,029
Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
1,515
Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students N/A 87
Men 67.8% Women 32.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
N/A
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 3.1% N/A
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 2,619 1,124
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Business
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 92.6% 87.6%
Dropout rate 1.8% 8.3%
Transferred out 4.7% 3.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
N/A

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.
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Colorado College Colorado College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Fairfield University Fairfield University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Trinity College Trinity College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Principia College Principia College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Boston College Boston College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Emmanuel College Emmanuel College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Endicott College Endicott College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Stonehill College Stonehill College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Macalester College Macalester College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs St Olaf College St Olaf College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Canisius College Canisius College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Iona College Iona College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Le Moyne College Le Moyne College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Niagara University Niagara University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs St Lawrence University St Lawrence University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Siena College Siena College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Xavier University Xavier University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Duquesne University Duquesne University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Gettysburg College Gettysburg College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs La Salle University La Salle University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Villanova University Villanova University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Salve Regina University Salve Regina University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Furman University Furman University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross vs Marquette University Marquette University
Hillsdale College Hillsdale College vs Patrick Henry College Patrick Henry College