Wesleyan University vs College of the Holy Cross

Wesleyan University and College of the Holy Cross, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wesleyan, a private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut, boasts a lower acceptance rate (13%) compared to Holy Cross's 44%. Wesleyan's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 2,900, while Holy Cross, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, has approximately 2,800 undergraduates. Both universities offer a diverse range of majors, with Wesleyan excelling in the social sciences and humanities, and Holy Cross known for its strength in the sciences and pre-professional programs. While Wesleyan's graduation rate stands at 93%, Holy Cross's is slightly higher at 95%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	College of the Holy Cross	Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
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%	19.4%
Application fees	$60	$55
SAT range	1240 - 1420	1300 - 1510
ACT range	28 - 32	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	27.0%
Total number of applicants	6,498	13,067
Total number of admissions given out	2,786	2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	821	910
Yield rate	29.5%	35.8%
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	$82,245
Average net price	$29,198	$20,535
Tuition	$55,800	$61,449
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $7,280	$17,531
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $33,661	40.0% Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,151	18.0% Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $2,342	2.0% Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,029 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	3,385 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	196 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	90.3%
International students	3.1%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,619	3,063
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Psychology Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
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%	5.3%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,847 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $36,334 Year 3: $45,541

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Wesleyan University vs College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

Wesleyan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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