Cornell University

Cornell University Overview

Cornell University is a private, nonprofit school in the small town setting of Ithaca, New York. Cornell was founded in 1865 and the school now enrolls around 25,582 students a year, which includes 15,503 undergraduates. Cornell provides housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! January 2, 2023 is the final deadline to submit an application for the Fall 2023 semester.

Student Involvement at Cornell

Interested in music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Cornell students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? Cornell has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Cornell has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Cornell on the Student Life page.

Is Cornell a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is.

Let's take a closer look at these areas to get a better sense of what Cornell offers and if the college could be a good choice for you.

Cornell Acceptance Rate 2022

Cornell is extremely difficult to get into. Around 9% of applicants get into Cornell each year. In 2022, just 5,852 out of the 67,380 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Cornell

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Cornell, around 97% are still enrolled their sophomore year. 94% of Cornell undergrads graduate within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook Cornell Graduates

Job placement stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from Cornell by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads. 63% of graduates from Cornell recieve at least one full-time job offer within six months of graduating.

The average starting salary for recent Cornell grads is $73,081 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Cornell University's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

Cornell's endowment was valued at $9.5 billion in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Cornell

Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

Cornell meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Cornell full-time are awarded $55,604 a year in financial aid, on average.

In 2020, students graduated with an average of $26,865 in student loans for each student with debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA asap. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Cornell.

Based on this information, how does Cornell sound? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is Cornell a good school for you?

If Cornell University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Exploring Schools?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about Cornell:

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

Cornell Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting into some of the best colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Cornell University Located?

Cornell is located in the small town setting of Ithaca, New York, less than an hour from Syracuse.

If you would like to see Cornell for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Highway 13 to Ithaca, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Syracuse Hancock International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Cornell and Ithaca are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in New York?

See a full list of colleges in New York and save your favorites to your college list.