Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Good 60/100

Holy Cross College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Notre Dame, Indiana

About Holy Cross College

Thinking about Holy Cross College, a college in Indiana where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Holy Cross College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Notre Dame, Indiana. It enrolls 639 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
75.2%
Graduation
50%
Net Price
$26,728
Median Earnings (10yr)
$50,416
Enrollment
639
Student : Faculty
12:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
60/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 61
Value 16
Affordability 33
Selectivity 72

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Holy Cross College admits 75.2% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
75.2%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Holy Cross College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 19.9 pts since 2019
93.6%201977%202085.9%202176.2%202273.7%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $26,728 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$26,728
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
30%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
71%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$36,600
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,700
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,570
Books & Supplies
$700
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,350
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,400
Total Cost of Attendance
$50,881

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $15,377
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $13,673
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $17,036
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $22,701
  • Over $110,000
    $35,603

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,750
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$24,000
Median percentile
$25,500
75% percentile
$29,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $17,850 ↓ $6,150
No Pell $5,500 ↓ $18,500
Female students $11,625 ↓ $12,375
Male students $11,904 ↓ $12,096
Pell recipients: 38.1% (9,138 students)No Pell: 11.7% (2,816 students)Female students: 24.8% (5,951 students)Male students: 25.4% (6,094 students)Overall Median$24,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($24,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

50% of students who start here finish within six years, and 74% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
50%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $50,416 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$50,416
Earning > $25K
75%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$40,000$43,000$46,000$49,000$52,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,800

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$51,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $15,000, about 29% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 10.8 pts across 6 years
66.3%1yr70.1%3yr77.1%5yr
What this signals: Strong. 77% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 639 students, a small, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
639
Part-Time
8%
First-Generation
29%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 50.4% 322
Hispanic 27.1% 173
Black 7.0% 45
Other 6.7% 43
International 4.9% 31
Asian 1.7% 11
White: 50.4% (322 students)Hispanic: 27.1% (173 students)Black: 7.0% (45 students)Other: 6.7% (43 students)International: 4.9% (31 students)Asian: 1.7% (11 students)Total639

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Holy Cross College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Notre Dame, Indiana
Housing
Mostly residential 385 beds on campus
Adult Learners
9% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Holy Cross College offers a focused set of programs: 9 distinct programs across 8 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$26M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,544
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

26 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 3 12% $82,601
Associate Professors 4 15% $60,468
Assistant Professors 11 42% $61,183
Instructors 3 12% $51,679
Lecturers 5 19% $49,504

Pros & Cons of Holy Cross College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Holy Cross College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Most students take on federal loans
Best for: Based on the data, Holy Cross College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Holy Cross College

The questions families ask most about Holy Cross College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Holy Cross College hard to get into?
Not especially. Holy Cross College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 75.2%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Holy Cross College?
75.2% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Holy Cross College cost?
Budget around $26,728 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Holy Cross College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $50,416 a year against a net price of $26,728, about 1.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Holy Cross College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business, Liberal Arts. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Holy Cross College graduates earn?
About $50,416 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Holy Cross College accredited?
Yes. Holy Cross College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Holy Cross College?
639 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Holy Cross College?
50% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Holy Cross College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Holy Cross College located?
Holy Cross College is located in Notre Dame, Indiana.
What programs does Holy Cross College offer?
9 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business, Liberal Arts. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Holy Cross College?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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