How to Apply to Chemistry at Holy Cross: Six Required Chemistry Courses Plus Calculus and Physics in a Jesuit Liberal Arts College, an ACS Certified Major and a Biochemistry Concentration, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The College of the Holy Cross is a Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, and its undergraduate chemistry programme is run by the Department of Chemistry. Students apply to the College, not to a school or department separately. This guide is based on the College’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Biology, physics, mathematics, computer science and other majors are not covered here beyond the courses and joint programmes chemistry involves. Note that the College catalog (catalog.holycross.edu) was not read, so course descriptions and prerequisites should be checked there.

1. Degrees and options, and how admission works

• Degree: the chemistry program page lists a Major and shows two sets of requirements, “Chemistry” and “Chemistry (ACS certified major)”. It does not state a B.A./B.S. degree label; this is not published on the pages read.
• Requirements for the chemistry major: required courses CHEM 181 (Atoms and Molecules), 221 and 222 (Organic Chemistry I and II), 231 (Equilibrium and Reactivity), 300 (Instrumental Chemistry / Analytical Methods) and 335 (Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy); two of CHEM 301 (Biochemistry), 336 (Thermodynamics) and 351 (Inorganic Chemistry); one chemistry elective (offered on a rotating basis; chemistry research cannot count); and, outside the department, PHYS 115 (Physics I) and Calculus I and II (MATH 133 or 134, and 135 or 136). Courses marked with an asterisk have a lab component that must be taken as an overload.
• ACS certified major: on top of the above, all three of CHEM 301, 336 and 351, a 3XX chemistry elective, PHYS 115 and 116, “Chemistry Research with comprehensive report”, and one additional chemistry lab course.
• Research courses: the program page lists CHEM 389 (join a research group), 390 (an original individual experimental investigation), 405/406 and 407/408 (continuing individual investigations) and 410 (more in-depth investigation), all by permission of the faculty advisor.
• Biochemistry concentration: offered jointly by the biology and chemistry departments to biology and chemistry majors and described as competitive: it requires completing the chemistry or biology major, a full year of biochemistry with lab, a year-long independent research project leading to a thesis defended at the Academic Conference, and a 3.0 cumulative GPA in math and science courses; students must apply in the spring of the sophomore year and must already have declared a biology or chemistry major.
• Teacher education: completing the chemistry major plus one course in the history and philosophy of science meets the chemistry requirements for a Massachusetts secondary or middle school chemistry licence; a formal application to the Teacher Education Program and further education courses are also required.
• Graduate opportunity: the program page mentions a preferred admissions opportunity into Notre Dame’s ESTEEM Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation; the conditions are not described.
• Whether to name a major at application, when to declare, GPA thresholds, caps: the admission pages read do not ask applicants to choose a major, and no separate admission line or capacity for chemistry was found. When and how a student declares the chemistry major, and any grade requirement, is not stated on the pages read; please ask the department or the dean’s office. Conditions for switching into the chemistry major are likewise not published.
• Teaching approach: the department says introductory chemistry uses a guided-inquiry “Discovery Chemistry” approach, that lecture and lab are integrated with the lab driving the course, and that upper-level labs use modern instrumentation; it lists its instruments (including UV-Vis, FTIR, fluorescence, GC, HPLC and mass spectrometry).

2. Prerequisites, course choices and undergraduate research

• High school course requirements: the admission pages read (How to Apply, international, transfer) do not say which mathematics or science courses are expected, nor any chemistry-specific high school requirement; please ask the admission office.
• Choosing chemistry and mathematics courses: the introductory course is CHEM 181; the program page does not describe a placement exam or advice for choosing the first chemistry or mathematics course, and course descriptions and prerequisites are in the catalog, which was not read. The department offers free Peer Assisted Learning sessions twice a week for students in CHEM 181 and 221.
• AP / IB credit: the program page says students with AP credit in chemistry do not receive credit toward the minimum number of courses required by the major or advanced standing in the chemistry curriculum; non-major students with AP Chemistry scores of 4 or 5 receive natural science common credit. It adds that medical and allied health programs generally do not accept AP credit for basic sciences, so students pursuing those paths should consider taking CHEM 181. The treatment of IB results is not stated on the pages read.
• Honors and undergraduate research: the department says research students are often co-authors on publications and about 20 students a year present at national meetings of professional societies; the entry point to any honors track is not described on the pages read.
• Study abroad: the program page encourages students to take part in study abroad immersion programs integrated with their studies; specific programs and credit rules are not stated on the pages read.
• Competitions: the admissions pages read do not say how competitions such as the chemistry olympiad are viewed.

4. Deadlines and application materials (per the College’s website)

• Deadlines: Early Decision I (binding) Nov. 15, notification Dec. 15; Early Decision II Jan. 15, notification Feb. 15; Regular Decision Jan. 15, notification mid-March. The College says it offers no non-binding Early Action. The tables print no year; the financial aid page on the same site states that aid for 2027–2028 is based on 2025 tax-year income and shows the same dates, but please still check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply and fee: the Common Application or the Coalition Application with Scoir (choose one); application fee $65; the site lists many fee waivers (Common App and Coalition criteria, community-based organizations, Catholic high schools, Jesuit or Cristo Rey high schools, natural disaster relief, residents of “Gateway Cities”, Worcester public schools and others).
• Required: high school transcript; two letters of recommendation, one from a school counselor and one from a teacher (the page does not say the teacher must teach chemistry); Early Decision applicants also submit the Early Decision Agreement Form. The pages read do not list a supplemental essay requirement; please check with the College.
• Interview: a personal interview is “strongly recommended” but optional; interview deadlines are Nov. 15 (ED I) and Dec. 5 (ED II and RD); off-campus alumni interviews are not available for Early Decision applicants.
• Testing: SAT/ACT scores are completely optional with no disadvantage for not submitting; if submitted they may be self-reported, and the College superscores both the SAT and the ACT; College Board code 3282, ACT code 1810.
• Optional materials: supplementary portfolios and similar, and Schoolhouse.world certifications in subjects such as calculus, computer science and statistics (uploadable to the applicant portal).

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27): the tuition and fees page lists one price, with no in-state or out-of-state distinction: tuition $70,220, standard housing $11,500, resident food plan $9,090, health service fee $470 and activity fee $460, for $91,740 with housing and food and $71,150 without; other fees listed include a $150 graduation fee and $2,921 for health insurance (full year). Figures for fall 2027 entry are not published; check when released.
• Aid: the College says it meets 100% of demonstrated need, determined from the FAFSA and CSS Profile (FAFSA code 002141, CSS code 3282); the aid page dates: CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax forms to IDOC due Nov. 15 (ED I) and Jan. 15 (ED II and RD). The scholarships page says families earning $100,000 or less with reasonable assets receive a full-tuition grant; nearly 450 first-year students are offered a Holy Cross Grant each year, ranging from $2,500 to more than $60,000; institutional funding is primarily need-based with a limited number of merit scholarships (such as Magis; the Faber Scholarship combines academic achievement with demonstrated need), and the Ellis Scholarship gives full tuition to a Worcester resident. Some scholarships are tied to majors such as music, classics and theatre and do not apply to chemistry.
• Preference or guaranteed admission for state residents: not stated on the pages read. For residents of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont, the College expects students to apply for their state grants.

6. International applicants

• Who counts: anyone who is not a US citizen or permanent resident; ED or RD are both open, with the same deadlines as domestic first-year applicants; the application is completed in English, and secondary records and recommendations are submitted as originals or notarized copies with certified English translations if necessary.
• English proficiency: applicants who did not attend an English-speaking high school and are not native English speakers submit TOEFL (including Home Edition), IELTS (including Indicator) or the Duolingo English Test; the College says its “most competitive applicants” score 100+ on the TOEFL, 7+ on the IELTS or 120 on the DET.
• Financial documents: the Holy Cross Certification of Finances form (completed in the applicant portal after applying, in US dollars, listing funding for all four years) and a bank letter or financial affidavit in English. The I-20 is issued only after admission; an F-1 visa is required.
• Interview: optional but strongly encouraged; a limited number of virtual interviews are provided after applying through the International Interview Request form; the Duolingo English Test can also stand in for an interview.
• Aid: the aid page says the College meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted international students, but funding is limited and aid for international applicants is “very competitive”; international applicants complete the CSS Profile for International Students. The international page also says limited funding is available for international students.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the website does not say whether or how the gaokao is used; it is not published. Contact admissions@holycross.edu.
• Interviews: the international students page says “our most successful applicants from China” submit interviews via the online platforms InitialView or Vericant.
• Transcripts and school-leaving exam materials: no China-specific requirements are published; see Section 6 for the general requirements (translations, English proficiency, finances).
• International curricula: for how AP and IB results are treated after enrolment, see Section 3.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see Section 5.
• Department scholarships: the major-specific scholarships on the scholarships page are for music, classics and theatre; a chemistry-specific scholarship for entering students is not described on the pages read.
• Outcomes: the pages read say only that chemistry students often do collaborative research with faculty and that some are co-authors on publications; counts or percentages of graduates going to graduate school or work are not published on the pages read; please check with the department.

9. Transfer students

• Who may apply: the transfer page says first-, second- and third-year transfer students are welcome; the How to Apply page says second- and third-year transfers are welcome; the two statements differ slightly, so please confirm with the admission office. There is no application fee for transfers.
• Deadlines: fall entry April 1, spring entry November 1, with rolling notification; materials are due one month after the application deadline (May 1 for fall, December 1 for spring). Financial aid: CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax documents April 1 (fall) and December 1 (spring). The tables print no year; please check.
• Materials: the Common App Transfer Application; final high school transcript; official transcripts of all college work; a midterm progress report for courses in progress; two professor recommendations (high school or personal recommendations are accepted if two professors are not available); course descriptions for all college courses; the College Official’s Report; an interview is strongly recommended (fall transfer interview deadline May 1, spring December 1); test scores are optional.
• Credit and the major: a credit evaluation is carried out during application review, and accepted transfer students receive it within 24 hours of the decision letter. Transfer requirements specific to chemistry (credits, grades or prerequisites) are not stated on the pages read; please ask the admission office and the department. Transfer students are eligible for need-based aid and merit scholarships.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I Nov. 15; ED II and RD Jan. 15; $65 fee; one counselor and one teacher recommendation; SAT/ACT optional; interview strongly recommended
• CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax forms (dates in Section 5)

International applicants (including those from China):

• TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo (for non-native English speakers not attending an English-speaking high school); Certification of Finances form and bank letter; original or notarized records with certified English translations
• If you need aid, complete the CSS Profile for International Students; funding is limited

After admission:

• Start the required sequence with CHEM 181; if you want the ACS certified major, plan CHEM 301/336/351 and research early; if you are interested in the biochemistry concentration, apply in the spring of sophomore year

Transfer students:

• April 1 (fall) or November 1 (spring); no application fee; two professor recommendations; course descriptions for all college courses; credit evaluation within 24 hours of the decision

Sources: College of the Holy Cross, Chemistry program; Chemistry department; Biochemistry concentration; How to apply; International students; Transfer students; Tuition and fees; Scholarships and grants; Financial aid. The dates on the application pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. The College catalog (catalog.holycross.edu) was not read; see the College’s website for the latest course rules.