Colleges / Cornell University
College · Private nonprofit · Ithaca, NY · City
Corn

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Address300 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Websitewww.cornell.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate9%
6-yr median pay$88k
Net price / yr$29k
Undergrad size15,995
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $29k/yr for a shot at a $88k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 9% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1535 · ACT 34.

If you get in

15,995 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $88k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $29k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$353k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$115k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$238k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$69.3k
Room & board
$19.4k
Books & supplies
$1,226

How students pay for it.

Pell grants18%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans18%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$14k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr95%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$88k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$104k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
15,995
Location
Ithaca, NY
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian27%
  • Hispanic13%
  • International10%
  • Black7%
  • Unknown6%
  • Two or more races6%
First-gen students15%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$75k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 79

What you can study.

Colleges / Cornell University
College · Private nonprofit · Ithaca, NY · City
Corn

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Address300 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Websitewww.cornell.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate9%
6-yr median pay$88k
Net price / yr$29k
Undergrad size15,995
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $29k/yr for a shot at a $88k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 9% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1535 · ACT 34.

If you get in

15,995 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $88k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $29k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$353k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$115k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$238k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$69.3k
Room & board
$19.4k
Books & supplies
$1,226

How students pay for it.

Pell grants18%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans18%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$14k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr95%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$88k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$104k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
15,995
Location
Ithaca, NY
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian27%
  • Hispanic13%
  • International10%
  • Black7%
  • Unknown6%
  • Two or more races6%
First-gen students15%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$75k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 79

What you can study.