College of the Holy Cross Acceptance Rate, GPA, and Requirements 2023, 2026, 2027

Do you want to be a student at the College of the Holy Cross? That is a good decision but there are certain factors you need to be aware of concerning the school. Such factors include College of the Holy Cross acceptance rate, GPA, and requirements.

We will be looking into these factors in this article, so we suggest that you should read this article to the end for more enlightenment on the factors.

Overview

Founded as boys school in 1843, The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts.

As the oldest Catholic college in New England, the College of the Holy Cross has 328 faculty members who teach 3,142 undergraduate students.

The College of the Holy Cross is a college that values service and altruism. The school has a mission statement that asks, “What is our special responsibility to the world’s poor and powerless?”

This shows that the College empowers its students to do good works for the sake of their community.

The college offers 28 majors mainly emphasized on a liberal arts curriculum, each of which leads to the completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree.

For over 179 years of history, the school has graduated a distinguished community of alumni and so many of its alumni have held top positions in the world of business and finance.

Some of these alumni are Bob Wright, Chairman & CEO, NBC Universal, and Vice Chairman, General Electric; James David Power III, J.D. Power and Associates founder; William J. McDonough, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch.

College of the Holy Cross Acceptance Rate

For the class of the 2025 academic year, 10,969 prospective students applied to College of the Holy Cross. Out of the applicants 2,786 received letters of admission, giving the school an acceptance rate of 43%.

This acceptable rate of the school is an unusual high acceptance rate. According to that figure, every four out of ten students will be accepted, and a fifth will make it in every three rounds.

However, some applicants might find these figures discouraging, thereby preferring to go to an exclusive college with a low acceptance rate.

Nevertheless, there are various benefits that accompany studying in a school that brings in numerous of its applicants.

One of the benefits is the large student body that comes from this principle. When a college admits thousands of freshmen each year, it creates a more vibrant campus and more chances to learn

GPA for College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross prides itself on using a holistic method to check the quality of its applicants.

As a result of that, the school does not have a minimum GPA requirement, choosing instead to look at the entirety of a student’s application.

However, a quick look at their student body shows that College of the Holy Cross students definitely tends to be high academic achievers.

On average, students entering college have a 3.82 GPA. That is to say that they earn A’s and B’s occasionally.

It is crucial you ensure that your B’s come only in classes outside of your major. See ivy league schools.

For instance, If you are going to study literature at Holy Cross, your English classes should all be A’s and you can get a B or two in math or science.

That last point underscores the reasoning behind GPA expectations. While College of the Holy Cross doesn’t have a minimum average, they demand of their students, that they still want to know that new applicants can keep up with the workload put before them.

If you are struggling to maintain an A average in high school, the school might come up with the decision that you won’t be able to handle the rigors of their curriculum.

SAT & ACT Requirements for College of the Holy Cross

As is increasingly the case, College of the Holy Cross has gone test-optional for the ACT and the SAT. Applicants no longer need to send their standardized test scores as part of their application package.

To cut it short, the school reports that only 44% of applicants submitted SAT scores in Fall 2021 and 21% submitted the ACT.

That shows, that it might be to your advantage to submit your scores. Standardized tests measure general knowledge gained during high school and your critical thinking skills.

Because they cover such a range, some students find they do better on the ACT or SAT than they do on tests given by their teachers.

In other words, if your GPA is lower than the norm for College of the Holy Cross, a high standardized test score can offset that problem.

The scores can show admission counselors that you have the aptitude they expect, even if you struggled in a particular class or with a certain teacher.

For that strategy to work, your standardized test scores need to match those earned by students accepted into the school.

College of the Holy Cross students scored between 28 – 32 on the ACT. That breaks down to a range of 28 – 35 on the English portion and 26 – 30 range on the math portion.

College of the Holy Cross accepted students who had a similar performance on the SAT.

For Fall 2021, they averaged between 1260 – 1430, with scores ranging from 630 to 700 on the reading portion and from 630 to 730 on the math portion.

Unsurprisingly, these are very high scores, significantly higher than the national averages. But this is why it’s essential to take advantage of the school’s test-optional policy.

If you have earned scores in that range, you should definitely include them in your application, especially if your GPA is a bit lower than the average at the College of the Holy Cross.

But if your scores are much lower than those averages, then leave them out of your application and brace other elements.

Other Requirements and Admission Tips

College of the Holy Cross utilizes a holistic approach other than grades when evaluating its applicants for admission.

In other words, admissions counselors definitely want to see everything an applicant can bring to their student body, not just book smarts.

A holistic approach values the cultural and personal qualities of college life and comprehends that educational experiences on their campus don’t just happen in the classroom.

For that reason, it is compulsory for applicants to show that they can enrich the student body at College of the Holy Cross. See University of Notre Dame Transfer Acceptance Rate.

Teacher evaluations are one of the most essential aspects to show that value to the admissions committee. College of the Holy Cross requires two evaluations from teachers in core courses (English, Math, etc.), preferably from your junior year.

To be sure, these evaluations will cover your academic potential. But they will certainly talk about the other aspects you brought to the teacher’s classroom, such as your capacity to collaborate or ask thought-provoking questions.

College of the Holy Cross requires a letter of recommendation from your school counselor. Even more so than with your teacher evaluations, this letter will speak to your personal qualities, telling the admissions committee the non-academic benefits you will bring to the student body.

The College of the Holy Cross requires an application fee of $60 from applicants, during the application process.

Essays for College of the Holy Cross

Perhaps the personal essay is the greatest tool for applicants who want to make an impression on College of the Holy Cross admissions counselors.

A personal essay is exactly what it sounds like, a short written piece describing your personal qualities.

For the Fall 2021 academic year, College of the Holy Cross makes the following prompt available to potential students:

“Holy Cross College seeks to form scholars, citizens, leaders, and disciples who serve the Common Good. What about this mission or other aspects of Holy Cross College interest you?”

The school suggests that potential students use 150 to 200 words to answer. As a result of the application essay being personal, there is no one right or wrong answer that you can give. The answer will be exceptional for you.

Because a personal essay is, by definition, personal, there are no hard and fast rules to writing a good essay. There are, however, techniques a student can use to improve their chances.

By using strong word choices and evocative details, you’re far more likely to make an impression on your readers and stand out.

Conclusion

College of the Holy Cross is an exceptional liberal arts school. Thanks to its dedication to service and student-first approach, the institution has a curriculum that is quite different from other schools.

This article was written about the College of the Holy Cross with emphasis on its acceptance rate, GPA, and requirements, to assist hopefuls on how to go about being admitted into the school.

Last Updated on July 10, 2023 by Admin