Private nonprofit · University
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York · Small city
- 8.8%
- Admit rate
- $28,690
- Avg net price
- 95%
- Graduation rate
- $104,043
- Median earnings
Cornell University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Ithaca, New York (small city setting), enrolling 15,995 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Cornell University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 8.8%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1500–1570
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Cornell University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Cornell University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Ithaca, New York
Ithaca is a city in the U.S. state of New York. Jesuit missionaries from New France in present-day Quebec had a mission to convert the Cayuga as early as 1657. In addition to its liberal politics, Ithaca is commonly listed among the most culturally liberal of American small cities. In 1997, Utne Reader named Ithaca "America's most enlightened town". (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 45 miles to Syracuse, NY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 61 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Ithaca Tompkins (ITH)
How Cornell University compares
More selective than 98% · #2 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 99%
Higher than 98% · #3 of 159 in New York
Higher than 96%
Higher than 99% · #3 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 19% · #109 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 92%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare Cornell University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate15,99560%
- Graduate10,66540%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women8,53553%
- Men7,46047%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White31%
- Black6.8%
- Hispanic13%
- Asian27%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 15,995
- Graduate enrollment
- 10,665
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 15%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $75,110
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $161,577
- Endowment
- $10,177,681,427
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 3,537 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New York33%
- Other U.S. states57%
- International10%
A national draw — only 33% of first-years come from New York; 57% arrive from other states.
10% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 8.8%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1500–1570
- SAT average
- 1535
- SAT reading
- 730–770
- SAT math
- 770–800
- ACT composite
- 33–35
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $69,314
- Room & board
- $19,428
- Books & supplies
- $1,226
- Total cost of attendance
- $88,140
- Average net price
- $28,690
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)
- 95%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 87%
- First-year retention
- 98%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $87,830
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $104,043
- Median debt at graduation
- $14,000
- Students with federal loans
- 18%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 85%
About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
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
- 8,747
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 55%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,562
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,942
- Application fee
- $80
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Ivy Group
- Varsity athletes
- 1,348 (744 men · 604 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 (21)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 154
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 74
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (26,793 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.
$6,796/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 University discounts heavily: 49% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $55,091. 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 3,491 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)
- $104,043
- Typical debt at graduation
- $14,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 13%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 84%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 $15,605 (16%) 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
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 15°F
- Annual rain
- 38.3″
- Annual snow
- 62.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY US station (1.7 mi from campus).
What Cornell University 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 University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cornell University side by side →
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city · 2 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 10,650
- Admission
- 5%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $111k
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana · Large suburb · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 8,818
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $100k
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 2 mi to Boston
- Students
- 17,326
- Admission
- 5%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1497
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $93k
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 3 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 20,443
- Admission
- 10%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 1495
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $92k
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, New York · Large city · 7 mi to New York
- Students
- 8,973
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $102k
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina · Large city · 2 mi to Durham
- Students
- 6,442
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1548
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $98k
Colleges near Cornell University
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,242 students
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Dryden, NY · Public · Associate · 1,469 students
State University of New York at Cortland
Cortland, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 5,901 students
Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCES
Elmira, NY · Public · Certificate · 166 students
Elmira College
Elmira, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 708 students
Arnot Ogden Medical Center
Elmira, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 52 students
Keuka College
Keuka Park, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 966 students
Cayuga County Community College
Auburn, NY · Public · Associate · 1,187 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.














