Incoming Students

Students will submit their six seminars of interest via the Montserrat Course Preference form on STAR by June 12, 2026. Students are encouraged to read the seminar descriptions in full.

You can also use the new Montserrat Seminar Exploration Tool (accessible here) to help guide you through the process of identifying these yearlong seminars, by making suggestions based on your interests and prompting you to consider new topics. This tool is solely for exploring Montserrat seminar options. It isn't linked to the official registration process which takes place through STAR.   

The Registrar will release schedules no later than July 7, 2026. Your schedule will include your Montserrat seminar and one additional course from your preference list.

First-year academic advisors are assigned in late summer. Students' first-year academic advisor will reach out to meet with them in the first week of classes. In addition, students will have the opportunity in June to have an online advising appointment with a faculty member to discuss course enrollment for their fall classes, which will take place this summer. Students can email their class dean at classdean2030@holycross.edu with additional course questions.

For course enrollment questions, reach out to the Registrar’s Office at registraroffice@holycross.edu.

First-Year Residential students will automatically be enrolled in the Standard Food Plan which is unlimited access to Kimball dining hall, $450 dining dollars per semester and 8 retail meal swipes per week to be used at all retail locations excluding Cafe Babel. Students may email Willow Davey for any further questions regarding the Standard Meal Plan.

Holy Cross Hospitality prides itself in providing a safe and nutritious dining experience for all students!   Students with food allergies are encouraged to reach out to Bradley Shannon, Director of Culinary Development and Nutrition, for guidance on Dining at Holy Cross with a food allergy. More information about Nutrition and Food Allergies can be found on our Dining website.  

Students with documented disability whose needs cannot be met within the structure of Dining Services may request accommodations through the Office of Student Accessibility Services. Accommodation eligibility is determined through an individualized interactive process, including these three-steps:

1. Submit a request via Accommodate 
2. Provide complete documentation
3. Attend a scheduled meeting with a SAS advisor

Student Accounts handles the charging and collection of various fees including tuition, housing, food plans, health insurance and other fees to the student account. They also apply financial aid and payments to the student account.

For additional questions, contact Student Accounts (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at (508) 793-2521 or email bursar@holyross.edu.

For questions regarding financial aid forms or eligibility, contact the Financial Aid Office. Questions regarding tuition and bills should be directed to Student Accounts.

Required medical forms for incoming students and student-athletes, and how to upload them, can be found on the Health Services website. Forms are due on Friday, Aug. 1, 2026, or 1 week prior to students arrival on campus, whichever comes earliest.

First-year students are unable to request a specific roommate. First-year roommate selection is completed randomly based on the following criteria: (1) the grouping of Montserrat clusters in a building, (2) gender identity, (3) your interest in living with another student-athlete if applicable, and (4) a series of lifestyle and personality questions answered in the roommate matching questionnaire. 

First-year students are asked to complete a roommate matching survey that will automatically match students based on compatibility, according to basic lifestyle habits and preferences.

When students participate in the Housing Selection Process for their sophomore, junior and senior years, they do indeed get to select their roommate, hall and room they will live in as an upperclass student.

Move-in for the Class of 2030 is Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Move-in for transfer students will be Thursday, August 20, 2025.

Move-in day is generally between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. View the full move-in day schedule. Students and their families come to campus and are directed to their building that will be their fall assignment in order to move in their belongings. Once at the building, we have a large group of student volunteers to assist in moving the students' belongings to their assigned room and welcoming them. Students will need to complete some additional tasks, including: verifying health forms and picking up their student ID. There will be some programming on campus for families, including Mass of the Holy Spirit. Families are asked to depart campus by 5:15 p.m. so students can begin Gateways Orientation. 

Students will receive notification that their Holy Cross gmail account has been set-up in mid-May. If students believe they have not received it, they should check their spam folder. If they still cannot find it, email helpdesk-request@holycross.edu, and ITS can issue a new activation email. Review instructions for setting up student email accounts.

The College does not provide or sell computers. We recommend a computer that is using at least Windows 11 or Mac OS within the last 3 versions (currently macOS 26 Tahoe.) Learn more about Getting Connected.

Parents/Guardians can update their contact information (email, phone, mailing address) using the Family Information Form. Please note that the student will still need to submit their parents’/guardian’s contact information updates in STAR for emergency contact and/or authorized users (receiving access to view grades and bills in the Parent Portal) as applicable due to student privacy guidelines outlined in The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 

• There are two systems (Parent Portal; TouchNet Bill +Payment) that exist for parents/guardians/authorized users to be able to access some student information.
• Students control who have access to these systems and what information they may view. Under FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act), a student’s account is private unless they grant access to it. A student can grant access to others by creating an authorized user account. Students are encouraged to grant access to their parents/guardians.
• Your student will receive an email with instructions to set up their network account in late May, to the email used to apply to Holy Cross. Once they set up this account, they can access the Student Academic Record system (STAR) and create authorized users. Please note, there are two portals (Parent Portal; TouchNet Bill +Payment) with different functions.
• For billing and payment purposes, students can grant access to an authorized user to their TouchNet Bill + Payment system by following the instructions on video 2 here.

The Office of Parent and Family Engagement will be working with parents/guardians/support people throughout the summer to assist in onboarding them to the Holy Cross community and helping them navigate how to support their student during the transition to college. The office will send bi-weekly emails highlighting key resources, approaching deadlines, and conversation ideas. Additionally, there will be several webinars offered during the summer as part of the From The Hill to You series. Finally, we look forward to meeting and connecting with you in person on move-in day. 

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Mass of the Holy Spirit will be offered on Move-In Day on August 19 at 4 p.m. New students and families are formally welcomed to start the new academic year. People of all faith traditions and beliefs are welcome at this Mass.

Family Weekend 

Save the Date for this year's Family Weekend: September 18-20! The detailed schedule for Fall 2026 will be available in late summer, but you can review the 2025 schedule to get a better sense of the programming that will be offered and what to expect.  

When students access STAR, they will be asked to enter emergency contact information. Please touch base with your student to ensure that information is accurate.

The Office of Student Accessibility Services provides accommodations to students with disabilities for  academic, housing, dining, transportation, and temporary accommodations.

All first-year students requesting disability accommodations are encouraged to submit accommodation requests to the Accommodate portal with appropriate documentation from a medical provider.  Please see our website documentation and process guidelines.

If you are a student with a disability and would like to apply for housing accommodation(s), the deadline to formally request housing accommodations is June 26, 2026. All four steps of the process (request submitted to Accommodate, complete documentation, scheduled meeting with an SAS advisor and completing the Housing and Board Agreement including the Roommate Matching Survey.), must be complete to be considered an on-time request. Requests past the date that are approved will be placed on a housing accommodation waitlist. The housing accommodation waitlist moves differently from semester to semester, and assignments are based on capacity, availability, and fulfillment of your eligible accommodations.  

Students seeking transportation accommodations, including a parking permit for a disability-related need to have a vehicle on campus, will need written approval through the SAS accommodation process before bringing a vehicle to campus. We strongly advise that you do not bring your vehicle until you have received written approval. If approved, the cost of a parking permit is the student's responsibility.   

Accommodations for high school to college are different. Even if you are not sure that you will require all previously received accommodations, it is recommended that you contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services to determine eligibility. Your SAS staff member will walk you through the process and help determine your access needs.

It’s important to know that approved accommodations are not retroactive and should be established early. 

A campus tradition, all first-year students are required to work in Hospitality. They may also hold another position on campus simultaneously. To apply, students should use the Student Jobs Board on Workday. If a student needs an exemption from the Hospitality work requirement due to a disability, qualifying medical condition, or sincerely held religious belief, they should contact the Office of Accessibility Services and Human Resources.

The College must confirm that all employees hired have the legal right to work in the United States. Every new student employee is required to complete student onboarding in Workday and must submit a Form I-9 along with the necessary original documents that prove identity and employment authorization to Human Resources for verification. Please refer to the list of acceptable identification documents.

The I-9 process consists of two main steps:

1. Complete the I-9 form online through Workday.

2. Present in person original, unexpired documents to HR for I-9 verification. Note that photocopies are NOT accepted under federal law.

Students cannot begin working until they have completed the full I-9 process with the Office of Human Resources. 

Yes, a first-year student can work on campus if they do not have federal work-study.

No, however Federal Work-Study provides an excellent opportunity for students to earn income while gaining valuable work experience. It is a crucial part of many financial aid packages, which may also include loans, scholarships, and grants. However, students who decide not to work, risk affecting their eligibility for future work-study awards.

Yes. Students are paid at the rate of $15.50 per hour in Hospitality for hours worked on a bi-weekly basis. Most other positions on campus are paid at a rate of $15.00 per hour. In addition, eligible student staff can earn a perfect attendance bonus at the end of each semester. Students will be required to sign up for Direct Deposit.

Depending on the Hospitality location you choose, most students work a minimum of 4-6 weekly hours and are not to exceed a total of 20 hours per week.

First and Second year students are not eligible to bring their vehicles onto campus, due to limited parking capacity. Juniors and Seniors are eligible to apply for parking passes. Review more maps, directions and parking information. 

Weekday shuttle options are offered via our Student Government Association. Routes include local shopping outlets. Learn more on the parking Ignite site. 

Weekend and break transportation options are also available.