College of the Holy Cross has been named a 2019 best value college by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice. Holy Cross placed 22nd in the nation among private universities, private liberal arts colleges and public universities – up three spots from last year – and 15th among liberal arts colleges.
Introduced in 1998, the annual rankings recognize institutions that combine outstanding academic quality with affordability to offer a transformative educational experience that is accessible to students who demonstrate financial need. This year, Kiplinger expanded the rankings from 300 colleges to 400.
"Our rankings are designed to help families see how their full array of college options stack up," said Kaitlin Pitsker, associate editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. "We start with a universe of nearly 1,200 schools, then trim the list based on measures of academic quality, cost and financial aid data."
Among the factors Kiplinger considers in its annual rankings are the competitiveness of a school’s admission rate, the percentage of its students who return for sophomore year, its student-faculty ratio and its four-year graduation rate.
Kiplinger recognized Holy Cross for its outstanding four-year graduation rate, which at 91% is the second highest among all colleges and universities in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.
- View Kiplinger's list of "Best College Values, 2019"
- Learn what make Holy Cross special on our “Points of Pride” page
Media Coverage:
- Worcester Business Journal, July 31: Holy Cross, Clark land on best-value list