The College of the Holy Cross, a private, Worcester, Massachusetts-based Jesuit liberal arts college, is a coveted destination for many high school students. As a leading institution in Catholic higher education, Holy Cross upholds a reputation for selectivity. With the Class of 2030 preparing for what promises to be a fiercely competitive admissions cycle, now is the time to understand the academic standards required for admission to this esteemed institution. What role does GPA play in the Holy Cross admissions process?

Ivy Coach is here to decipher the data and provide insight into the academic requirements for prospective Crusaders.

College of the Holy Cross Admissions Rate

To assess Holy Cross’ admissions process, let’s first review the recent acceptance rate. For applicants to the College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2029, an even 17% earned admission. The year prior, for the Class of 2028, this number was an even 18%. For the Class of 2027, 21.10% of students were invited to join this community of pious learners. These data suggest that one thing’s for certain: the acceptance rate is trending downward, and members of the Class of 2030 should prepare for heightened competition.

What is a Good GPA for Getting into College of the Holy Cross?

GPA Percentage of College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2027

The following is the class rank breakdown of Holy Cross’ Class of 2027 members, as reported in Holy Cross’ 2023-24 Common Data Set (the most recent Common Data Set available. Holy Cross, please publish more up-to-date data; your public awaits you!) Unfortunately, Holy Cross hasn’t reported any GPA data for recently admitted cohorts, so the class rank data below is the closest to gauging the GPA requirements for admission in Holy Cross’ competitive admissions process.

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	38%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	69%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	94%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	6%
Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class	1%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	22%

GPA Percentage of College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2026

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2026:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	43%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	75%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	2%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	26%

GPA Percentage of College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2025

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of College of the Holy Cross’ Class of 2025:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	43%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	80%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	2%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	17%

Further Context on GPAs of Holy Cross Students

While we await the official data for the Class of 2029 (and the Class of 2028, for that matter), we speculate that admissions officers at Holy Cross are still screening for applicants with great grades. However, this data should be taken with some skepticism year-to-year, as only a tiny proportion of the incoming class has reported GPA data, thus skewing the statistics. Regardless, it bears repeating that successful Holy Cross applicants have taken the most rigorous coursework possible and have excelled in this coursework.

But here’s the twist: Holy Cross also tends to reject some applicants with great grades and test scores. It’s for this very reason that we decline to answer parents who share their child’s GPA during complimentary consultations with Ivy Coach, as though this paints a definitive picture of their child’s chances of getting into Holy Cross. Without context, including the high school attended, the rigor of the student’s coursework, their extracurricular activities, essays, letters of recommendation, etc., GPA alone doesn’t paint the full picture.

There are plenty of other criteria weighed by Holy Cross admissions officers, not least of which is the student’s adherence to Holy Cross’ stated Jesuit values.

Can You Get into Holy Cross with a Low GPA?

It’s not likely, but it is possible to earn admission to the College of the Holy Cross with a less-than-stellar GPA. It’s important to remember that many students accepted without exceptional grades have statuses that merit special consideration. Holy Cross is willing to disregard poor grades for a recruited athlete or a student with parents who are major donors. Does this indicate that college admissions is sometimes a rigged system benefiting certain types of applicants? Yes, we daresay so.

How Ivy Coach Can Gauge Your Child’s Chances at Holy Cross Admission

If you want to optimize your child’s odds of getting into College of the Holy Cross, it behooves you to sign up for an Ivy Coach Strategy Session before you send in your child’s applications. This way, you’ll find out if your child can get into College of the Holy Cross, and you’ll come away with a strategy for optimizing your child’s odds of admission to the best school within reach before it’s too late to reverse course. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll contact you.