Private nonprofit · College
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa · Fringe town
- 79.9%
- Admit rate
- $23,634
- Avg net price
- 62%
- Graduation rate
- $53,460
- Median earnings
Cornell College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Mount Vernon, Iowa (fringe town setting), enrolling 1,086 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Cornell College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 79.9%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1120–1285
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.50
Enter a test score to see where you land against Cornell College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Cornell College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. Mount Vernon was laid out in 1847, but its origins date back to at least 1838, when it was known as Pinhook, a rest stop on Military Road, which ran between Dubuque, on the Mississippi River, and Iowa City. Located on Highway 30, is local artist Mark Benesh's rendition of Grant Wood's American Gothic, on the side of a barn. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 13 miles to Cedar Rapids, IA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 186 miles
- Nearest airport
- 15 miles to The Eastern Iowa (CID)
How Cornell College compares
More selective than 45% · #14 most selective of 28 in Iowa
Higher than 67%
Higher than 63% · #17 of 30 in Iowa
Higher than 61%
Higher than 49% · #20 of 31 in Iowa
Cheaper than 33% · #20 cheapest of 29 in Iowa
Lower than 11%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 39%
Percentiles compare Cornell College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women50847%
- Men57853%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White69%
- Black8.3%
- Hispanic11%
- Asian3.7%
- Other or multiracial8.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,086
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 32%
- First-generation students
- 20%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $80,000
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $71,334
- Endowment
- $100,874,798
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 79.9%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1120–1285
- SAT average
- 1234
- SAT reading
- 575–655
- SAT math
- 545–630
- ACT composite
- 23–30
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.50
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $52,660
- Room & board
- $11,850
- Books & supplies
- $1,320
- Total cost of attendance
- $66,249
- Average net price
- $23,634
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 62%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 58%
- First-year retention
- 80%
- Transferred to another college
- 25%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,299
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,460
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 71%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,062
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 98%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,162
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,036
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Midwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 596 (399 men · 197 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,094 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$20,177/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Cornell College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $35,628. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 329 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $53,460
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 51%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 59%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $4,432 (9%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 12°F
- Annual rain
- 38.8″
- Annual snow
- 34.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cedar Rapids #1, IA US station (12.1 mi from campus).
What Cornell College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Cornell College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cornell College side by side →
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · 6 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 943
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1239
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $55k
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland · Small city · 8 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 964
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1248
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $53k
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 62 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,191
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $57k
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana · Distant town · 36 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 1,031
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1201
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Meredith College
Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city · 3 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 1,188
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1204
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $52k
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana · Large suburb · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 1,458
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1246
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Cornell College
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA · Public · Associate · 7,591 students
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,164 students
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,107 students
Carlson College of Massage Therapy
Anamosa, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students
Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic Technology
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 21 students
Capri College-Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 129 students
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA · Public · Bachelor's · 22,264 students
PCI Academy-Iowa City
Iowa City, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 113 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













