College of the Holy Cross

What is the history of College of the Holy Cross?

College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1843. Bishop Benedict Joseph Fenwick established it to provide a Catholic college education in New England, and the Society of Jesus has shaped its academic and religious identity since its early years.

The college began as a men's institution and admitted women beginning in 1972. That change, alongside the expansion of its academic programs, helps explain the institution students encounter today: a coeducational, primarily undergraduate college that retains a Jesuit educational mission. Its campus on Mount St. James remains in Worcester, where the college was founded.

What are the faculties and departments at College of the Holy Cross?

Holy Cross organizes its academics as an undergraduate liberal arts college, rather than as a collection of separate business, engineering, and professional schools. It awards the Bachelor of Arts, including to students who major in the sciences.

Students can study across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. Representative majors include English, history, philosophy, economics, political science, psychology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science. Interdisciplinary options allow students to combine perspectives from more than one field. Applicants seeking a particular major should check the current academic catalog for its requirements and any available minor or concentration.

The first-year Montserrat program places students in small seminars connected by a theme. Holy Cross also has a common curriculum outside the major, so prospective students should consider both their intended department and the breadth of coursework required for graduation. The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 9 to 1; that figure describes institutional staffing relative to enrollment, not a guaranteed class size.

What is the location of College of the Holy Cross?

Holy Cross is in Worcester, Massachusetts, on a campus commonly known as Mount St. James. Worcester is a city, but the college's residential campus is distinct from a downtown campus; students can expect both an on-campus community and access to a larger urban area.

Worcester offers local rail and bus connections, including service toward Boston. Transportation needs still depend on where a student lives, works, or completes an internship. Boston Logan International Airport is a major regional airport, but travelers should allow for the additional ground journey to Worcester. First-year students should not assume they can bring a car: the college reports that they are not permitted to register or park one on campus.

What is the mission and vision of College of the Holy Cross?

Holy Cross describes its mission in Jesuit and Catholic terms: a liberal arts education that develops intellectual judgment alongside reflection on ethics, faith, service, and justice. Those are the college's stated educational priorities, not measures of what every student will experience.

Its religious affiliation is visible in campus ministry and opportunities for worship and service. Students do not need to treat every activity as religious to attend a Jesuit college, but applicants should consider whether a curriculum and campus culture that explicitly engage questions of meaning and responsibility fit their interests. The college's emphasis on discussion across disciplines is also reflected in its common curriculum and first-year seminars.