College of the Holy Cross vs St Olaf College

College of the Holy Cross and St. Olaf College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Holy Cross, a Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, boasts a 33% acceptance rate and a student body of over 3,000 undergraduates. St. Olaf, a Lutheran college in Northfield, Minnesota, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 29% and a smaller student body of around 3,000 undergraduates. While both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, Holy Cross is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while St. Olaf excels in the natural sciences and music. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these colleges' differences in popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	College of the Holy Cross	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	47.4%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1240 - 1430
ACT range	28 - 32	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	755
Yield rate	29.5%	24.5%
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	$66,570
Average net price	$29,198	$27,729
Tuition	$55,800	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
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 $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.1%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,619	2,703
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	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	85.0%
Dropout rate	1.8%	3.9%
Transferred out	4.7%	11.0%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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