Private nonprofit · University
University of Holy Cross
New Orleans, Louisiana · Large city
- 73.7%
- Admit rate
- $15,635
- Avg net price
- 49%
- Graduation rate
- $49,316
- Median earnings
University of Holy Cross is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New Orleans, Louisiana (large city setting), enrolling 471 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
About New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land traditionally inhabited by the Chitimacha people. New Orleans operates one of the world's largest and busiest ports and metropolitan New Orleans is a center of maritime industry. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to New Orleans, LA
- To the ocean
- 9 miles
- Nearest airport
- 17 miles to Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) · major hub
How University of Holy Cross compares
More selective than 57% · #9 most selective of 23 in Louisiana
Higher than 37% · #10 of 25 in Louisiana
Higher than 33%
Higher than 37% · #13 of 28 in Louisiana
Cheaper than 70% · #15 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana
Lower than 16%
Lower than 92%
Larger than 21%
Percentiles compare University of Holy Cross with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Louisiana.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate47159%
- Graduate33141%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women42189%
- Men5011%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White40%
- Black29%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian3.4%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 471
- Graduate enrollment
- 331
- Student–faculty ratio
- 7 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 49%
- Students over 25
- 25%
- Median family income
- $26,490
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $69,372
- Endowment
- $22,954,780
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 73.7%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $16,576
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,353
- Total cost of attendance
- $27,541
- Average net price
- $15,635
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)
- 49%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 9%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,296
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,316
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,995
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 74%
About 40% 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)
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
- 115
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 24%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,867
- Meal plan (year)
- $2,299
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (802 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.
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.
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.
$15,314/year × about 5.2 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.
Modest institutional aid: 74% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,055. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
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 42 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)
- $49,316
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,995
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 55%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 64%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $7,139 (15%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 45°F
- Annual rain
- 65.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Terrytown 3S, LA US station (2.4 mi from campus).
What University of Holy Cross graduates study — and earn
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 University of Holy Cross
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Holy Cross side by side →
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, Virginia · Fringe rural · 51 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 443
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $52k
Rosemont College
Rosemont, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 10 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 486
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $49k
Louisiana Christian University
Pineville, Louisiana · Small suburb · 80 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 672
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $52k
Greensboro College
Greensboro, North Carolina · Large city · < 1 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 708
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, Kentucky · Small city · 29 mi to Evansville
- Students
- 842
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1044
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
Salem College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Large city · 1 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 423
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1082
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near University of Holy Cross
My Le's Beauty College
Gretna, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 110 students
Nunez Community College
Chalmette, LA · Public · Certificate · 1,520 students
New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute
New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 36 students
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans
New Orleans, LA · Public · Bachelor's · 862 students
Crescent City Bartending School
New Orleans, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 570 students
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 865 students
Park Place Premier Barber School
New Orleans, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students
Dillard University
New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,063 students
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.













