College of the Holy Cross vs Villanova University

College of the Holy Cross and Villanova 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 (3,000 undergraduates) compared to Villanova, a private Catholic university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, which has an acceptance rate of 40% and enrolls over 6,000 undergraduates. While Holy Cross is known for its strong liberal arts curriculum, Villanova excels in business, engineering, and nursing programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' differences in graduation rates, student demographics, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	College of the Holy Cross	Villanova University
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Villanova, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: 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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	25.2%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1350 - 1490
ACT range	28 - 32	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	24,410
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	6,162
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	1,772
Yield rate	29.5%	28.8%
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	$77,806
Average net price	$29,198	$33,123
Tuition	$55,800	$58,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $8,236 Meal plan: $7,150
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $33,661	52.0% Average amount $43,106
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	34.0% Average amount $5,267
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	7.0% Average amount $29,933

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	7,032 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	N/A	3,838 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	80.7%
International students	3.1%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	5,400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts	Business Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	91.3%
Dropout rate	1.8%	1.5%
Transferred out	4.7%	7.2%
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: $114,668 Year 2: $165,766 Year 3: $171,511 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,137 Year 2: $100,740 Year 3: $121,765 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,590 Year 2: $109,095 Year 3: $118,365 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,687 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $106,587 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,782 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $91,484 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,757 Year 2: $73,579 Year 3: $88,419 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,583 Year 2: $80,218 Year 3: $88,254 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,297 Year 2: $71,947 Year 3: $86,990 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,492 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,115 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,596

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