Cornell University
An Ivy League university and New York's land-grant institution, spread across a hilltop above Cayuga Lake.
- Acceptance rate
- 8.4%
- Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029)
- Students
- 26,561
- 16,138 undergraduates
- Student–faculty
- 9:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $73,946
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1865
About Cornell
Cornell was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White with an unusual mission for its time: "any person" could study "any study". That mix of Ivy League research university and public land-grant institution still defines it. Its main campus covers 745 acres on East Hill in Ithaca, overlooking Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes, and the university also runs Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island in New York City and Weill Cornell Medicine.
About 16,100 undergraduates and 10,400 graduate and professional students study at Cornell. Undergraduates apply to one of eight colleges and schools: Agriculture and Life Sciences; Architecture, Art, and Planning; Arts and Sciences; the Brooks School of Public Policy; Duffield Engineering; Human Ecology; the SC Johnson College of Business; and Industrial and Labor Relations. Some are privately endowed and others are New York State contract colleges, which is why in-state students at contract colleges pay lower tuition. The range is enormous, from hotel administration and animal science to computer science and labour relations.
Cornell suits students who want breadth and a big, busy university in a small, outdoorsy town. The workload has a reputation for being demanding, winters are long, and the gorges, waterfalls and lake give the place a physical beauty few campuses can match.
I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.
University motto
Why students choose Cornell
Eight undergraduate colleges and schools, from Arts and Sciences to Industrial and Labor Relations, let you apply directly to a specialised program within an Ivy.
New York residents at the contract colleges pay lower tuition ($49,816 versus $73,946 in 2026-27).
Families earning up to $75,000 with typical assets receive aid with $0 expected parent and student contributions and no loans.
Access to Cornell Tech in New York City, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a 745-acre campus of gorges and lake views.
Admissions
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029)
About 1 in 12 applicants is admitted
6,077 admitted from 72,521 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Admit rates vary by college; Cornell enrolled 3,827 first-year students in fall 2025.
Deadlines
- Early Decision Binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Binding. All materials due November 13; decisions mid-December.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 2, 2027
All materials due January 19; decisions late March.
Cornell's first-year page lists November 1 and January 2 without a year; these apply to the current cycle, entry fall 2027.
How to apply
Common Application with the Cornell supplement, including college- or school-specific essays; one counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations; school report and transcript; SAT or ACT; $85 fee or waiver.
What admissions looks for
- Readiness for the specific college or school you choose, shown in your coursework and in the college-specific essay.
- Academic strength in context: transcript, school report, test scores and two teacher recommendations are read together.
- A clear sense of why the programme you are applying to fits your interests.
Tips for applying to Cornell
- 1 Research your chosen college carefully: the supplement's essays are college-specific, and you are admitted to that college, not to Cornell in general.
- 2 If you are a New York resident interested in Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, ILR or the Brooks School, note the lower contract-college tuition.
- 3 Early Decision is binding; submit the application by November 1 and remaining materials by November 13.
- 4 International applicants should check the English proficiency minimum: IELTS 7.5 is higher than many peers require.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Cornell University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Cornell meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all eligible undergraduates with grants, work-study and minimal or no loans. Families earning up to $75,000 with typical assets have $0 expected parent and student contributions and no loans; loans are capped at $2,000-$6,000 a year above that.
- About half
- Undergraduates receiving Cornell grants
- $0 expected contribution, no loans
- Family income up to $75,000
- $2,000
- Annual loan cap, income $75,001-$125,000
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (fall and spring, with a winter session)
School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR)
An undergraduate school devoted to work, labour and employment policy, rare among top universities.
Hotel Administration (SC Johnson College of Business)
Cornell's hotel school is part of an undergraduate business college inside an Ivy.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
A land-grant college where Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock earned her BSc, MS and PhD.
Mechanical Engineering (Duffield Engineering)
Bill Nye earned his B.S. here in 1977.
Computing and Information Science
The Bowers college teaches computing across the university, though students apply through another college.
Research
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- Cornell Tech, a graduate campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
- Cornell formerly operated the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Schools & faculties
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
- Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering
- College of Human Ecology
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
- School of Industrial and Labor Relations
- Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
Student life
Cornell is a big campus in a small town, so student life happens on the hill. First-years live together on North Campus, and many upper-level students move to West Campus residential houses or Collegetown. Libe Slope, running down from Uris Library and McGraw Tower toward West Campus, is the campus's gathering spot and hosts Slope Day, the end-of-classes celebration each spring. The McGraw Tower chimes play daily, and architecture students build a creature for Dragon Day. Cornell competes in NCAA Division I in the Ivy League.
- Slope Day, the spring celebration on Libe Slope.
- Dragon Day, the architecture students' parade.
- The Cornell Chimes in McGraw Tower.
- NCAA Division I athletics in the Ivy League.
Location
Ithaca is a small college town of gorges and waterfalls at the south end of Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. The Commons downtown and Collegetown next to campus have restaurants and shops, and hiking, swimming and wineries are close by. It is several hours by bus to New York City. Winters are cold and snowy, and the hills make walking to class a workout.
Nearest airport: Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH)
Notable alumni
- RB Ruth Bader GinsburgU.S. Supreme Court Justice; B.A. in government 1954
- TM Toni MorrisonNobel Prize in Literature; M.A. 1955
- EB E. B. WhiteAuthor of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little; B.A. 1921
- BM Barbara McClintockNobel Prize-winning geneticist; BSc 1923, MS 1925, PhD 1927
- BN Bill NyeScience educator; B.S. in mechanical engineering 1977
- TI Tsai Ing-wenPresident of Taiwan; LL.M., Cornell Law School 1980
- KV Kurt VonnegutAuthor of Slaughterhouse-Five; studied at Cornell 1940-1943 without graduating
Frequently asked questions
What is Cornell's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Cornell admitted 6,077 of 72,521 first-year applicants, about 8.4%, according to its 2025-26 Common Data Set. Rates vary by college.
Does Cornell require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Cornell requires the SAT or ACT. Fall 2025 enrollees had a middle-50% SAT of 1490-1550 and ACT of 33-35.
Is Cornell Early Decision binding?
Yes. Early Decision (November 1) is binding. Regular Decision is due January 2.
Why is Cornell tuition lower for some New York students?
Several of Cornell's colleges are New York State contract colleges, where New York residents pay $49,816 tuition in 2026-27 compared with $73,946 at the endowed colleges.
Which Cornell college should I apply to?
You apply to one of eight admitting colleges and schools, each with its own essay, so choose the one whose programmes match your interests; computing is taught by the Bowers college but you apply through another college.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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