Holy Cross Eliminates Application Fee for Worcester Public Schools Students

The College of the Holy Cross announced today that it is eliminating its $60 application fee for students currently enrolled in the Worcester Public Schools system. Effective on Aug. 1, 2022, the move augments Holy Cross' strong commitment to providing access and affordability, and ensuring that its educational experience remains affordable and accessible to all, especially to the Worcester community.

"By waiving the application fee for Worcester Public School students, we aim to encourage more academically qualified students to explore and apply to Holy Cross — one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions," Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau said. "We also seek to eliminate financial barriers that could prevent high-achieving local students from applying to the College and reaffirm our commitment to the community we all call home."

Earlier this year, Holy Cross became a QuestBridge partner college, joining a small and distinguished group of peer institutions committed to enrolling high-achieving students from low-income families.

Additionally, in 2018 the College joined the American Talent Initiative to fortify its contributions to increasing the number of first-generation college students by 50,000 nationally, and recently has been designated a First-gen Forward institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and The Suder Foundation.

Most recently, the end of fiscal year 2022 marked the completion of the College's Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid, an 18-month fundraising program aimed at improving access to the College, which raised more than $56 million against its $40 million goal.

"We recognize that undermatching is a genuine issue among high-achieving, low-income students," said Cornell B. LeSane II, vice president for enrollment management at Holy Cross. "As a college that meets 100% demonstrated financial need, we want to remove the undue burden that an application fee may present."

Holy Cross has been a leader in reducing barriers to college entry for students. In 2005, the College was one of the first five colleges nationally to make standardized test scores an optional part of the admissions process. Additionally, Holy Cross is one of only a few dozen colleges nationally that meet 100% of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need.