Quad

Head-to-head

College of the Holy Cross
Bucknell

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    College of the Holy Cross's yield is 22 pts higher than Bucknell's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    College of the Holy Cross is 1.8× more selective than Bucknell

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    College of the Holy Cross is more diverse (index 0.51 vs. 0.44)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Bucknell's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than College of the Holy Cross's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    College of the Holy Cross has 5 pts more first-gen students than Bucknell (17% vs. 12%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    College of the Holy Cross graduates 4 pts more of its students than Bucknell (92% vs. 88%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

College of the Holy Cross admits 18%, Bucknell 32%; College of the Holy Cross's yield is higher, at 50%.

Acceptance rate
College of the Holy Cross18%
Bucknell32%
Quad's selectivity
  • College of the Holy CrossHighly selective
  • BucknellVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
College of the Holy Cross
1240–1410
Bucknell
1310–1470
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • College of the Holy CrossSchool record required
  • BucknellGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Bucknell is a bit larger than College of the Holy Cross (3,876 vs. 3,106 undergrads); College of the Holy Cross has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
College of the Holy Cross3.1K
Bucknell3.9K
Pell Grant share
College of the Holy Cross15%
Bucknell12%

Majors and faculty

Economics leads at both; both have 9 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
College of the Holy Cross9 to 1
Bucknell9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • College of the Holy CrossEconomics, General16%
  • BucknellEconomics, General9%

What each costs

College of the Holy Cross costs about $2.5K less a year than Bucknell on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
College of the Holy Cross$55.1K
Bucknell$57.6K
Aid generosity
College of the Holy Cross32%
Bucknell31%

What each pays off

Bucknell's former students earn more, a median $93.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
College of the Holy Cross$90.5K
Bucknell$93.8K
Graduation rate
College of the Holy Cross92%
Bucknell88%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; College of the Holy Cross got more selective while Bucknell held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • College of the Holy CrossGrowing+80%
  • BucknellGrowing+45%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Bucknell University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why