Lafayette College vs College of the Holy Cross

Lafayette College and College of the Holy Cross, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lafayette, situated in Easton, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (35%) compared to Holy Cross's selective admissions (29%). While Lafayette's student body is slightly larger, both colleges share a vibrant residential campus culture. Holy Cross, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, distinguishes itself with its Jesuit Catholic heritage, while Lafayette embraces a nonsectarian approach. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	College of the Holy Cross	Lafayette College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Easton, 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
Students retention rate	96.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	40.7%
Application fees	$60	$65
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1300 - 1460
ACT range	28 - 32	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	8,262
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	3,366
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	782
Yield rate	29.5%	23.2%
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	$75,934
Average net price	$29,198	$38,754
Tuition	$55,800	$55,874
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $33,661	61.0% Average amount $34,668
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	26.0% Average amount $4,491
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	7.0% Average amount $23,831

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	82.6%
International students	3.1%	7.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	2,510
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	87.9%
Dropout rate	1.8%	2.5%
Transferred out	4.7%	9.6%
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	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201

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Lafayette College vs College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

Lafayette College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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