Dear Colleagues,
As our May 1 admission deposit deadline has now passed, I would like to update you on what has been an unprecedented admission season. We are currently more than 100 students over our target for the Class of 2026, reflecting a robust interest in Holy Cross as an institution of choice. This is something we should celebrate as a campus community, but then quickly get down to the complex business of how we will accommodate the larger class and provide more support generally for our existing challenges.
As most of you have heard, we were not looking to grow the class. We actually lowered our admit rates seeking to yield a slightly smaller class with a plan to enroll some transfer students. Using historical data, we planned for a 3 percentage point increase in yield rates in our modeling. All the enrollment models predicted an entering class size below 805. However, instead of a 3 percentage point increase in yield, our yield rate increased by more than 7 percentage points over last year, reaching the highest level in recent Holy Cross history.
There is good news on the selectivity front. Our applicant pool grew by 8% from last year. By admitting fewer students, we decreased our admit rate by 7 percentage points, thus improving selectivity. A full 19% of the incoming class received our top two academic ratings, up from 7% five years ago. This speaks to the academic strength of the incoming class and our ability to successfully recruit outstanding students who will enhance our community and contribute to campus life.
Our percentage of students of color and first-generation students equal our 4-year averages; due to the larger overall class size, our numbers will increase in both categories. We also yielded 25 students from Worcester — the highest number in three years. We have increased our geographic diversity, attracting a smaller proportion of students from New England than in the past five years, while increasing the proportion of students from the Mid-Atlantic and the South.
Despite the positive news, we understand that a class of this size will create challenges, particularly within our academic enterprise. To this end, the Provost’s Office will be working with department chairs and independent program directors on Thursday to discuss a variety of options to provide the courses, additional seats and academic advisors we will need to support the larger-than-expected class.
Concurrently, colleagues in student affairs, admissions, and administration and finance — including dining and facilities — are already developing contingency plans. We will continue to convene groups throughout the remainder of the spring semester and into the summer months to ensure that the College is fully able to provide the extraordinary academic, residential, research, co-curricular, study abroad, spiritual and wellness experiences for which Holy Cross is known. Should you wish to participate in these conversations, please contact your academic chair or department head.
I am heartened by the increased interest in Holy Cross and remain grateful for the roles you will play in working together to accommodate this exceptional class.
Sincerely,
Vincent D. Rougeau
President