Mount Holyoke College vs College of the Holy Cross

Mount Holyoke College and College of the Holy Cross, while sharing the word "Holy" in their names, offer distinct educational experiences. Mount Holyoke, a women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, boasts a 49% acceptance rate and a student body that is predominantly female (100%). On the other hand, College of the Holy Cross, a coeducational institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, has a 42% acceptance rate and a more balanced gender ratio (49% male, 51% female). Both colleges excel in academics, with Mount Holyoke being known for its strengths in social sciences and humanities, while College of the Holy Cross is recognized for its programs in business, engineering, and pre-professional studies. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	College of the Holy Cross	Mount Holyoke College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	South Hadley, Massachusetts
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%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	52.3%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1300 - 1510
ACT range	28 - 32	31 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	24.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	3,971
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	2,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	608
Yield rate	29.5%	29.3%
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	$73,438
Average net price	$29,198	$29,218
Tuition	$55,800	$56,300
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $8,260
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 $30,351
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	42.0% Average amount $4,906
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	7.0% Average amount $4,982

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,220 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	N/A	122 Men 13.1% Women 86.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.1%	23.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	2,171
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	85.0%
Dropout rate	1.8%	2.9%
Transferred out	4.7%	11.9%
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	International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,377 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $46,206 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,152 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,150 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,038 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,403 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,356 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $35,497 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $34,113 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,168 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $33,868 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $30,295 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $30,137 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,160 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $29,034

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Mount Holyoke College vs College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

Mount Holyoke College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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