Photo by Avanell Chang
The College of the Holy Cross announced today that it has accepted an invitation to become a QuestBridge partner college, joining a small and distinguished group of peer institutions who are committed to enrolling high-achieving students from low-income families. Holy Cross will begin accepting QuestBridge applications in fall 2022 for the class entering in 2023.
Students will apply to Holy Cross through the QuestBridge College Match program, which pairs applicants and colleges based on preferences. Once enrolled at the College, students will continue to receive support from QuestBridge, including mentoring, career and financial counseling, and health and wellness services. Coupled with the College’s own extensive network of support, this guidance ensures that QuestBridge students are provided with the tools they need to thrive at Holy Cross and beyond.
“It’s a great honor to be invited to join QuestBridge and build on Holy Cross’ existing efforts to recruit talented students from low-income backgrounds,” said Cornell B. LeSane II, vice provost for enrollment management at the College of the Holy Cross. “This partnership offers us an enriching and exciting opportunity to connect more students who reflect wide-ranging perspectives and backgrounds with our campus community. We’re thrilled to see this wonderful collaboration unfold and welcome the first class of QuestBridge Scholars to campus in the fall of 2023.”
The new partnership with QuestBridge augments the College’s strong commitment to providing access and affordability. Holy Cross is one of only a few dozen colleges nationally that meets the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. The college provides $64.3M in financial aid each year, with 63 percent of students receiving aid. The college is also in the midst of its Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid to raise an additional $40 million for financial aid, in an effort to ensure that the Holy Cross transformational educational experience remains affordable and accessible to all.
Additionally, in 2018 Holy Cross joined the American Talent Initiative to fortify its commitments and contributions to increasing the number of first-generation college students by 50,000 nationally, and recently has been designated a First-gen Forward institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation.
“We are thrilled that the College of the Holy Cross is joining the QuestBridge partnership,” said QuestBridge CEO and Co-Founder Ana McCullough. “Both Holy Cross and QuestBridge share a commitment to equity and inclusion in higher education. We believe this partnership will create opportunities for our students to experience a well-rounded education while contributing their diverse backgrounds, stories and perspectives to the thriving community at Holy Cross.”
In 2021, 6,312 students were selected as QuestBridge National College Match Finalists out of a pool of more than 16,500 applicants. Of the finalists, 93 percent had household incomes of less than $65,000, and 77 percent were first-generation students. Their average grade point average was 3.91. QuestBridge partners have awarded more than $2 billion in scholarships and financial aid since the nonprofit organization was founded in 1994.
In addition to Holy Cross, Middlebury College and Case Western Reserve University joined the QuestBridge network this year. Holy Cross is just the third Catholic partner college, joining the University of Notre Dame and Boston College. Other partner colleges include Yale University, Williams College, Amherst College, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Stanford University and Duke University.
College of the Holy Cross announced Wednesday it has hired Tomicka Wagstaff, an experienced leader in the field, as its new vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion.
