College of the Holy Cross SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

College of the Holy Cross is a private nonprofit school in Worcester, MA, with just 3,106 students, small enough that admissions can read applications closely. That context matters when you look at College of the Holy Cross SAT scores: the middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 1240 and 1410 in the 2024-2025 data, with an average of 1353. The acceptance rate sits at 17.6%, which means fewer than 1 out of 5 applicants gets an offer. At a campus this size, every seat is contested, and the score range reflects a pool that comes in prepared.

The section numbers tell you where the range comes from. Reading and Writing runs from 630 to 710 for the middle half of the class, while Math runs from 610 to 700. Neither section carries the whole load, so a lopsided score profile stands out here more than it would at a larger school. Holy Cross is test optional in the most recent federal data, so submitting is a choice. If your score lands near 1353 or above, sending it gives the committee one more reason to say yes. ACT applicants see a parallel picture: the middle 50 percent runs from 27 to 32.

Read your score against the 1240 to 1410 range in 3 zones. Below 1240 puts you in the bottom quarter of enrolled students. Since Holy Cross is test optional, a score down there usually does more harm than good on the application, and withholding it is often the smarter play. Inside the range means the score neither carries you nor sinks you: at 1300 or 1353, the average, the rest of the file decides. Above 1410 puts you ahead of 3 out of 4 students who enrolled, and at a school admitting 17.6% of applicants, that kind of edge is worth submitting every time.

The sections split the work unevenly. Reading and Writing sets the higher bar, 630 at the 25th percentile against 610 for Math, and the gap holds at the top: 710 versus 700. So a 660 in Reading and Writing is merely mid pack here, while the same 660 in Math clears the 25th percentile by 50 points. Weigh your section scores separately before deciding whether to send.

Admitted students at Holy Cross typically present an unweighted GPA around 3.8 to 4.0. That band follows from a 17.6% acceptance rate: when 4 out of 5 applicants are turned away, transcripts near the top of the scale become the norm rather than the exception. Expect the students you are competing against to have mostly A grades.

The number alone is not the whole story. Grades earned in rigorous courses count as much as the GPA itself, so an A minus in a demanding class signals more than an easy A. A 3.8 built on the hardest schedule your school offers reads stronger than a 3.95 built on lighter coursework. And if your GPA sits at the lower edge of that band, a strong SAT is the fastest offset available. Transcripts take years to change. A score at or above 1410, the 75th percentile here, can be built in months and gives the file a second data point that argues in your favor.

Set 2 targets and work backward from them. A 1240, the 25th percentile, keeps you in range: not a selling point, but not a liability either. A 1410 or above puts you in the top quarter of enrolled students, and at a school that admits 17.6% of its pool, that is the score worth chasing. In section terms, that means pushing Reading and Writing toward 710 and Math toward 700. If Math is your weaker side, note that its bar sits 20 points lower at the 25th percentile, so gains there close the gap faster.

Getting from where you are to 1410 starts with knowing the actual distance. Take a diagnostic to pin down your current score and see which section is costing you more points. Then compare score plans built around your target date and starting point. Your next step: sit for a full timed practice test this week and write down your section split, because every decision after that depends on those 2 numbers.