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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,086 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division III with football · Midwest ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

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
To Great Lakes shore
186 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to The Eastern Iowa (CID)

How Cornell College compares

Selectivity79.9%

More selective than 45% · #14 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average1234

Higher than 67%

Graduation rate62%

Higher than 63% · #17 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention80%

Higher than 61%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,460

Higher than 49% · #20 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$23,634

Cheaper than 33% · #20 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,086

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

1,086undergrads
  • 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)

All students
58%
Low-income (Pell)
67%
First-generation
62%

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)

Football99
Track and Field (Outdoor)70
Track and Field (Indoor)69
Wrestling58
Baseball50
Lacrosse48
Soccer48
Basketball47
Cross Country38
Softball29
Tennis20
Volleyball20

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.

5.3reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Fondling
1.7
Burglary
0.7

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.

< $30k
$16,409
$30–48k
$18,513
$48–75k
$20,177
$75–110k
$22,944
$110k+
$29,298

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.

Est. total to a degree
$82,358

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$35,628
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$52,036
Men
$56,468

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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cedar Rapids #1, IA US station (12.1 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Cornell College

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.