College of the Holy Cross vs Macalester College

College of the Holy Cross and Macalester College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Holy Cross, a Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, boasts a lower acceptance rate (33%) and a higher graduation rate (91%) compared to Macalester, a private college in Saint Paul, Minnesota (52% and 84%, respectively). While Holy Cross students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences and humanities, Macalester students often choose majors in the natural sciences and social sciences. Additionally, Holy Cross has a larger student body (3,000 undergraduates) with a higher percentage of male students (55%), while Macalester has a smaller student body (2,000 undergraduates) with a more balanced gender ratio (51% male, 49% female). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	College of the Holy Cross	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Saint Paul, Minnesota
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
Students retention rate	96.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	31.3%
Application fees	$60	$40
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1340 - 1515
ACT range	28 - 32	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	601
Yield rate	29.5%	21.3%
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	$74,520	$76,357
Average net price	$29,198	$30,939
Tuition	$55,800	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $33,661	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.1%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
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	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	89.7%
Dropout rate	1.8%	10.0%
Transferred out	4.7%	N/A
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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