College of the Holy Cross Outcomes: $85K Earnings (2026)

How much do College of the Holy Cross graduates earn?

The reported median is $84,553 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $16,303 per year.

Return is the strongest for College of the Holy Cross, at the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $84,553, in the 92nd percentile.

That is $16,303 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings scenarios span a wide range, reflecting different program clusters. The downside earnings scenario sits at $59,818 and the upside at $111,958.

At the higher end, Economics graduates earn a median of $118,131 four years after completion, from 128 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $114,088, and Physics at $99,165.

An estimated 43.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

The reported median may understate eventual earnings for a sizable share of graduates.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $59,818
Median · reported: $84,553
Higher estimate: $111,958

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do College of the Holy Cross graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

That comparison is not reported for College of the Holy Cross. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending College of the Holy Cross caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at College of the Holy Cross report the highest earnings?

The largest program, Psychology, awards 132 degrees a year and earns a median of $74,095 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally within its field, at 1.46x the national median.

The best-paid program is Economics, at $118,131 from 128 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #35 nationally.

Accounting follows at $114,088, though it is a smaller program with 28 degrees awarded. Further down the earnings scale, History awards 65 degrees and reports $72,423. The gap between History and Economics is wide.

Social Sciences accounts for 29.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Psychology at 14.2%. The university has 12 nationally ranked programs.

Psychology is the largest single program, with 132 degrees awarded a year. Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally in its field, and its completers earn a median of $74,095 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is Economics, ranked #35 nationally in its field, at $118,131 from 128 degrees a year. Accounting follows at $114,088, with 28 degrees awarded. The largest program and the best-paid program are not the same.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $59,818 to a typical outcome of $84,553 and an upside of $111,958. The spread reflects variation by field: Economics, the highest-earning program, reaches $118,131, while History, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, sits at $72,423.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of College of the Holy Cross who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $84,553. Azimuth places that figure in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is based on an earnings cohort of 661 completers. Earnings scenarios estimated from the university's program mix put the typical outcome at the observed median, with a downside scenario of $59,818 and an upside scenario of $111,958.

These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. An estimated 43.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

That estimate helps frame the four-year earnings picture: a substantial share of graduates may not be in the workforce at the four-year mark.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.