Cornell University

Cornell Early Decision Results Release Date 2021

Cornell will release their Early Decision results on Wednesday December 15th. Share results and connect with other early applicants in the Cornell Community discussion.

Good luck to all early applicants!

Cornell University Overview

Cornell University is a private, nonprofit school in a small town setting in Ithaca, New York. Cornell was founded in 1865 and now enrolls around 24,027 students a year, including 15,043 undergrads. Cornell provides on-campus housing for students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Cornell! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of Cornell'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.

Thinking of pledging? Cornell has 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.

Learn more about life at Cornell on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! January 2, 2022 is the final deadline to submit an application for Fall.

Is Cornell a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is, but they don't say much about the quality of the education or the student experience. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a look at to get a better sense of what Cornell offers and if it might be a good fit for you.

2021 Acceptance Rate for Cornell University

It is extremely difficult to get into Cornell. The acceptance rate at Cornell is 11%. In 2021, just 5,330 out of the 49,114 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Cornell

Retention is 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. 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 rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. Within six months of graduating, 65% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

The average starting salary for recent Cornell grads is $66,953 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Cornell'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 $681.5 million in 2021, compared to a national average of $905 million.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Cornell

Cost 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 $52,017 a year in financial aid, on average.

In 2020, students graduated with an average of $32,372 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 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out 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 not be the right school for someone else! 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 Looking for Schools?

To learn more about Cornell, choose from the options below:

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Cornell Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting into some of the schools in the U.S.

Where is Cornell?

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

If you want to see Cornell for yourself, 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.

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