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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 471 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 74% admitNear the coast

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
To the ocean
9 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) · major hub

How University of Holy Cross compares

Selectivity73.7%

More selective than 57% · #9 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 37% · #10 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention71%

Higher than 33%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,316

Higher than 37% · #13 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$15,635

Cheaper than 70% · #15 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$26,995

Lower than 16%

Student–faculty ratio7 : 1

Lower than 92%

Undergraduate enrollment471

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

802students
  • Undergraduate47159%
  • Graduate33141%

Undergraduates by gender

471undergrads
  • 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)

All students
9%
Low-income (Pell)
22%
First-generation
24%

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.

< $30k
$14,202
$30–48k
$15,215
$48–75k
$15,314
$75–110k
$19,073
$110k+
$16,087

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
$80,174

$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.

74%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,055
average award, among those who get one

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.

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$48,071
Men
$55,210

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

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.67.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Terrytown 3S, LA US station (2.4 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 University of Holy Cross

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Holy Cross side by side →

Colleges near University of Holy Cross

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.