Private nonprofit · College

College of Our Lady of the Elms

Chicopee, Massachusetts · Large suburb

85.3%
Admit rate
$17,545
Avg net price
68%
Graduation rate
$51,540
Median earnings

College of Our Lady of the Elms is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Chicopee, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 949 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 949 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Chicopee, Massachusetts

Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. "Chicopee" is derived from the Nipmuc language. It is likely derived from chekee ("violently") and -pe (root suffix used in water place names) or chikkupee ("of red cedar"), an adjectival form of chikkup ("red cedar"). The Great New England Air Show is an annual two-day air show held at Westover Air Reserve Base. The show has featured the USAF Thunderbirds and the US Navy's Blue Angels. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
55 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Bradley (BDL) · major hub

How College of Our Lady of the Elms compares

Selectivity85.3%

More selective than 35% · #51 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 75% · #35 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention76%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,540

Higher than 42% · #51 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$17,545

Cheaper than 62% · #10 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment949

Larger than 36%

Percentiles compare College of Our Lady of the Elms with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,215students
  • Undergraduate94978%
  • Graduate26622%

Undergraduates by gender

949undergrads
  • Women73377%
  • Men21623%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White45%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic28%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
949
Graduate enrollment
266
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
45%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$35,491
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,237
Endowment
$24,403,965

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 196 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts71%
  • Other U.S. states26%
  • International3.1%

Most first-years stay in state — College of Our Lady of the Elms draws overwhelmingly from Massachusetts.

3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
85.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$43,325
Room & board
$15,605
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$54,027
Average net price
$17,545

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
68%
Graduated on time (4 years)
60%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,087
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,540
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
71%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
60%
Low-income (Pell)
71%
First-generation
67%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
402
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
42%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
211 (99 men · 112 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Soccer54
Baseball35
Basketball30
Volleyball24
Field Hockey17
Softball15
Lacrosse13
Cross Country10
Swimming8
Golf5

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 8 campuses (1,268 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$8,099
$30–48k
$22,645
$48–75k
$17,539
$75–110k
$21,243
$110k+
$25,491

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$73,174

$17,539/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,057
average award, among those who get one

College of Our Lady of the Elms discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,057. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 144 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$51,540
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
74%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
45.2″
Annual snow
51.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Westfield Barnes Muni AP, MA US station (6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to College of Our Lady of the Elms

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of Our Lady of the Elms side by side →

Colleges near College of Our Lady of the Elms

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.