Are you intent on receiving a Jesuit education at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country? Are you familiar with the charms of the liberal arts college experience and want to see what all the hype is about a close-knit campus where academic rigor and quality education are emphasized? Then the College of the Holy Cross might be the place for you! 

This private Jesuit liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts isn’t quite as selective as some other elite college out there, but that certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t prestigious. And the students who know that Holy Cross is where they want to end up and aren’t afraid to show it apply via one of the two Early Decision rounds offered by admissions officers at this elite institution. Admissions officers reward the level of commitment (A.K.A. Demonstrated Interest) entailed by Early Decision with heightened odds of admission.

But wait, let’s back up. Early Decision applicants are highly prized because they shore up yield rate, or the proportion of admitted students who end up enrolling. After all, Early Decision is a binding admission process, meaning students who are admitted through it are contractually obligated to enroll. Hence, the premium admissions officers place on these applicants.

Holy Cross Early Decision Admission Statistics Over 10+ Years

These lofty claims could use some statistics to back them up. Fortunately, the historical Early Decision acceptance rate data for Holy Cross is available online through The Common Data Set.  This data reveals that well over 50% of the ED applicants in any given year earn admission, a rate that pales in comparison to the overall acceptance rate (compare the 21.1% acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 to the 67.15% acceptance rate for ED applicants during the same cycle). This disparity suggests that the vast majority of Holy Cross admits are culled from the pool of ED applicants:

Admissions Cycle	Holy Cross College Class Year	Early Decision (I + II) Acceptance Rate
2025-26	Class of 2030	Not Yet Available
2024-25	Class of 2029	Not Published
2023-24	Class of 2028	Not Published
2022-23	Class of 2027	67.15%
2021-22	Class of 2026	80.91%
2020-21	Class of 2025	74.74%
2019-20	Class of 2024	76.20%
2018-19	Class of 2023	82.93%
2017-18	Class of 2022	81.32%
2016-17	Class of 2021	77.53%
2015-16	Class of 2020	72.75%
2014-15	Class of 2019	74.89%
2013-14	Class of 2018	72.96%

Breakdown of the Class of 2030 Early Decision Admits to Holy Cross

Unfortunately, there’s no data to chew on as of yet covering the Early Decision admits to the Class of 2030 (or the Class of 2029!). However, without a doubt, Ivy Coach confidently conjectures that Holy Cross still draws most of its admits from the ED pool, and will continue to do so for the rest of time.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Rejected Holy Cross Applicants

If you’re a student who applied in an Early Decision round to Holy Cross and were deferred or rejected for admission, you might feel like this is the end of your road. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Try to recenter yourself and reclaim your peace, briefly, and then spring into action! The days following your deferral or rejection are crucial for pivoting to an effective strategy.

That’s where we come in. Contact Ivy Coach to schedule a complimentary consultation to assess your options. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. And once we’ve figured out what went wrong in the Early round, we’ll even help you pivot to Regular Decision. Our team of former elite college admissions officers is here to help you optimize your odds of admission to the school of your dreams, whether that’s Holy Cross (in the case of a deferral), or another elite college (in the case of a rejection).