Smith College vs College of the Holy Cross

Smith College and College of the Holy Cross, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Smith, a private women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, boasts a 44% acceptance rate and a student body of over 2,600 undergraduates. Holy Cross, a private Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 48% and a more diverse student body of over 3,000 undergraduates. Both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, with Smith being known for its strengths in the social sciences and humanities, while Holy Cross is recognized for its strong programs in the sciences and business. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions, including their graduation rates, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	College of the Holy Cross	Smith College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Northampton, 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%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	42.9%	29.9%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1370 - 1530
ACT range	28 - 32	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	6,064
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	1,814
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	676
Yield rate	29.5%	37.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$74,520	$68,128
Average net price	$29,198	$29,569
Tuition	$55,800	$55,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $9,700 Meal plan: $9,720
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	70.0% Average amount $44,108
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	35.0% Average amount $3,560
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	5.0% Average amount $8,280

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	2,566 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	N/A	358 Men 16.2% Women 83.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.1%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,619	2,519
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 Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts	Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.6%	91.0%
Dropout rate	1.8%	3.6%
Transferred out	4.7%	5.1%
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	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,496 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $70,990 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $56,651 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,011 Year 2: $45,554 Year 3: $53,962 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,620 Year 3: $53,886 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $48,619 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,776 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $43,120 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,839 Year 3: $41,147 Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,006 Year 2: $18,566 Year 3: $41,145 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,954 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $40,411 Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,603 Year 3: $38,497

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Smith College vs College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

Smith College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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