Actually, the acceptance rate at BC is about half the rate at HC these days. That said, both are excellent schools with beautiful campuses, strong academics and great alumni networks. As others have mentioned, BC has some programs that HC does not (Business and Engineering as examples) and a big-time sports atmosphere (ACC). HC is more aligned with other LAC’s and peers in the Patriot Athletic League (Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh etc.) and offers better merit scholarships than BC. BC is about a 15 minute ride on the Green Line into Boston and HC is located within Worcester which is a city in the midst of transition (about an hour or so west of Boston). Hard to go wrong with either school, but the majority who get into both (and can afford either) choose BC.
BC is neither rural nor “just outside downtown Boston”. One side of the campus faces a densely developed streetcar suburb neighborhood while the other side faces an affluent suburban area.
And no one who has ever visited Medford or Somerville would call them in any way rural, even with quotation marks.
Are Scarsdale or Pelham “rural” to you? genuinely curious…
For the class of 2027, Holy Cross’ overall acceptance rate was 21% ( ED and RD) and regular decision was 16%. That’s pretty close to BC’s 15%.
Both are selective schools and if lucky enough getting to choose, it comes down to preferring a LAC or university experience.
Nice to see HC closing the gap! For class of 2025 (my daughter’s class) it was 19% for BC vs. 43% for HC,
And while Somerville is technically a suburb, many would consider it more urban than suburban. (If your vision of suburban is strip malls and single family homes).
This is interesting. My S22 got into Holy Cross with a big merit award, and while looking at schools we put BC in the reach category and didn’t apply, even with his good stats. I said then I felt we were one year ahead of the surge.
We visited HC 3 times, so I know that campus up and down (literally). I think the campus is so pretty, but it is definitely landlocked.
Relatively close acceptance rates doesn’t necessarily mean that two schools are equally difficult to get into, in the sense that each school may be attracting different pools of applicants. For the Class of 2027, BC had a 15.45% admit rate, and Holy Cross a 21% admit rate - so fairly close. But, as one data point, BC had an ACT composite range of 33-34, and SAT 1450 - 1520. Holy Cross was 29 - 33 and 1300 - 1450. Both terrific schools, and both tough admits. And both have had a big surge in competitiveness of admission in the last 4-5 years for good reason (with HCs surge maybe being even greater than BCs). But, BC is still the tougher admit.
I watched a HC admissions webinar yesterday and they emphasized strength of transcripts as the most important data point they consider for admissions. They mentioned scrutinizing rigor, AP’s and continued upward trend in grades. It’s all about a stellar transcript and GPA. Especially junior and senior fall grades. Recommendations and essays are read very carefully. Standardized scores haven’t been HC’s top determining factor for almost 20 years, but a big school like BC has to probably rely heavily on that data point due to sheer number of applicants. Not sure this makes a vastly different applicant pool, though. But good to know the difference in admissions criteria for each school. Both attract top students.
I think @Lindagaf observation about HC being more “laid back” is correct. Vibe is more relaxed on The Hill and I think a visit parses out the differences (and similarities) of both schools.
Both top New England schools. Can’t go wrong.
These, I think, are academic peers overall.
Aside from location/setting, the main differences will be typical U/LAC differences:
- BC offers more majors (especially pre-professional majors like Business and Engineering)
- HC will offer smaller classes all four years (generally)
- There is likely to be a bit more of an intellectual vibe at HC, as there are fewer pre-professional majors on campus (if any)
Both are fine schools – visit them and take a look at each school’s curriculum and majors/courses offered to really inform your decision.
That is true for every highly selective college.
I would guess that the biggest differentiator is between medium/big Uni vs small school (LAC). Both offer fantastic Jesuit education so there is some amount of app overlap. My D attended BC and several of her roomies also toured/applied to HC but thought it too small. (For my D, it was smaller than her HS.). Personally, I remember touring (self tour) HC on a mid-day and while walking around thought it was very nice until I realized that this was a school day and I saw almost no students milling around.
We live in the area, so know several kids at both and I was just going to comment about this, but you summed it up perfectly.
This is only my opinion, but from what I see the pre-professional majors at BC set the vibe.
The HC kids we know tend to be politically active or spend a lot of time volunteering/interning for organizations they are passionate about while in high school and bring that passion into the classroom at HC. They are passionate communicators (not necessarily debaters as their aim is discussion and not to take a side) and thrive in small, personal discussion-based classes and experiential opportunities whatever they may be.
The BC kids we know are very focused on what they are going to do after graduation and are hyper aware of building their resume. They are super competitive and driven, and might put aside a hobby or passion to go after a preprofessional award or resume builder.
Of course, that is not every kid at either school, but if your kid is at the extreme end of either of these stereotypes, they may be happier at one school over the other. I suppose it’s the typical LAC vs. larger university comparison.
This perspective is very helpful. Thank you.
My 2 kids went to HC and couldn’t be happier. Close knit, supportive community; very engaging, caring profs; nice campus. Daughter graduated last year and via hard work and alumni network got a great big law job. Son a junior doing ROTC. Tells me about his classes all the time and is very committed to intellectual inquiry. Loves his profs.
All that said, solely based on stats and nationwide name recognition, BC is much “better”. Admit rate, test scores, GPA, breadth of majors, facilities are all better than HC. BC name is much more recognizable outside of New England. HC sports, especially football, have done very well the last several years. However, BC is playing at a much higher level. BC and HC occasionally play what is really an exhibition game and guess who wins?(although it was VERY close in 2023). Not that sports are a huge factor for non-athletes but it does help. BC’s surroundings in Chestnut Hill and close proximity to Boston offers way more opportunities than being on a hill near downtown Worcester. Although Worcester was much better than I expected.
That said I’ve had the opportunity in my family to observe BC and HC grads. I’m biased but the HC kids have more intellectual depth and humility. The BC grads think they’re great but can fall short in the real world.
One person’s view.
The dramatically decreased HC acceptance rate is interesting. I’m wondering if there’s some suspicion because no one other than HC is publishing it.
Regardless, President Rougeau was clearly chosen to increase prestige as he did with BC Law. In HCs case it’s really about restoring the pre 1970 prestige when HC was considered significant better than BC.
Their acceptance rate is published widely as 21% overall. There’s no suspicion about anything. If a google search comes up with old data, that’s not really relevant. Also USNews uses two or three year old stats. That’s why it’s good to dig a little deeper.
My sources on the ground said the acceptance rate will be lower than 20% this cycle. President Rougeau is doing all the right things and yes, probably bringing BC strategies to enhance HC’s rankings and reputation. (All good things for parents paying a hefty tuition bill).
I guess a take away for anyone reading this far is, if you’re looking at these two fine schools, you can’t consider either one an easy admit. Splitting hairs and all… HC certainly is no consolation prize for BC. The choice is a selective LAC or a well regarded university.
Points taken. I do think the HC 21% is accurate although such a big change is very atypical. If it repeats, that’s great. It helps raise the profiles of recent grads as well.
When I google US News, a 36% acceptance rate is shown:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/holy-cross-2141/applying
College Board shows 36%. Less known Niche shows 43%. For better or worse, that’s what prospective student (more importantly, parents) see during the research process.
I agree that HC is not a consolation prize for BC. However, my strong observation is that acceptance to both results in the student choosing BC due to perceived prestige based on higher quantitative stats.
Now, based on many of the comments above that could be to the student’s detriment as the two are very different. HC= intellectual. BC = pre-professional.
Again, both of my kids are HC and doing well. Our son was WL at BC, which in retrospect was a blessing.
I always have to be careful on CC. Most of us are “highly invested” in our kids’ pursuit of higher education and want to believe we made near perfect choices. I was like that when my oldest was applying.
One has to go to the source for the correct and/or most current data, not third party sites.
HC acceptance rate for Class of 2027 was 21% per HC’s 2023-24 CDS, the 36% acceptance rate is for Class of 2026 (current college sophs), from 2022-23 CDS.
Institutional Research | College of the Holy Cross
The 21% is also prominent on HC’s Class of 2027 enrollment summary: https://www.holycross.edu/admissions-aid/enrollment-facts-and-figures
Great info which I hope gets widely recognized so that the bills paid by us / DoD have an even bigger payoff.
However, the links noted, especially on HC’s website, will not be valued as much as the “gold standard” USNWR. I hate it is viewed thus, but that is the reality. To some extent I think those links are really aimed at parents of current students so the ever-increasing cost is justified (6% next year, oy vey!).
Acceptance rate is a terrible metric to use when comparing colleges.
Yes, you will find a markedly different student body at a place with a 78% acceptance rate vs. 9%.
But a “rate” reflects numerator and denominator; is a function of self-selection of the applicant pool as much as it is how “studious” is the student body.
BC is on the list of virtually every kid I’ve ever known at a Catholic HS, and kids who went to parochial school and then public HS. It is in Boston- so the kids who don’t have the stats for Harvard et al but want the “Boston college experience” have it on their list. It isn’t viewed as being as “political” as Georgetown (which shows that people have short memories- the faculty and administration at BC were at the forefront of the Viet Nam era protests). It isn’t “far away” like ND for kids in the Boston/Virginia corridor.
For non-Catholics, it’s seen as a Fordham substitute (placement into banking and finance jobs) but you get Boston and not NY.
I know kids who didn’t have a chance of a snowball in any hot place who insisted on applying to BC because “You never know”. That’s what drives an acceptance “rate”- how many “Hail Mary Pass” kids are in the applicant pool (sorry to use a bad Catholic metaphor here).
I think HC is a tremendous admissions “value” because the faculty is top notch, deeply committed to undergrad education, and a place where intellectual rigor is a highlight.
BC’s reputation for pre-professionalism is well deserved.