College of the Holy Cross vs La Salle University

College of the Holy Cross and La Salle University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Holy Cross, a Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, boasts a lower acceptance rate (33%) and a smaller student body (2,900 undergraduates) compared to La Salle, a Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which has a higher acceptance rate (68%) and a larger student body (5,500 undergraduates). While Holy Cross is known for its strong liberal arts curriculum and rigorous academics, La Salle offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including business, nursing, and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two excellent universities, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic future.

	College of the Holy Cross	La Salle University
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
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%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	81.4%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1240 - 1420	N/A
ACT range	28 - 32	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	5,818
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	4,733
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	482
Yield rate	29.5%	10.2%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$74,520	$42,650
Average net price	$29,198	$24,130
Tuition	$55,800	$32,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $7,990 Meal plan: $7,360
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 $22,122
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	52.0% Average amount $5,100
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	14.0% Average amount $16,740

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,746 Men 34.8% Women 65.2%
Graduate students	N/A	1,297 Men 28.7% Women 71.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	30.2%
International students	3.1%	3.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	1,962
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Delaware

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	57.6%
Dropout rate	1.8%	16.3%
Transferred out	4.7%	25.3%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,894 Year 2: $111,992 Year 3: $112,782 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,139 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $91,743 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $64,762 Year 2: $72,510 Year 3: $79,742 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,181 Year 2: $70,642 Year 3: $79,475 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,610 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $77,322 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,148 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $76,502 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,448 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $67,797 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,850 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $64,559 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,344 Year 2: $59,011 Year 3: $62,399 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,298 Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $57,694

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