Cornell University
Ithaca, New York · Private, a small city · 15,995 undergraduates
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Is it hard to get into Cornell?
The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.
Acceptance rate
8.8%
65,635 applied
SAT, middle half
1500 to 1570
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Required
66% of admitted students enrolled
- What they look at
- High school GPAConsidered
- Class rankConsidered
- Courses takenRequired
- College-prep programConsidered
- RecommendationsRequired
- EssayRequired
- PortfolioConsidered
How much does Cornell cost?
Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.
Tuition and fees
$72,270
A full year, sticker price
$92,093
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$33,934
Students who got federal aid
What a year cost, by family income
| Family income | Average paid after grants |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $6,371 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $6,152 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,797 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $13,422 |
| Over $110,000 | $55,935 |
- Room and board on campus
- $20,574 a year
- Books and supplies
- $1,216 a year
- The school's own grants
- 49% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $55,091
Tuition over the years
Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.
How much do Cornell students borrow?
Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
About $136 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
20.5%
Get a Pell Grant
22%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
0.5%
What do Cornell graduates earn?
Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.
Six years after starting
$97,242
Ten years after starting
$113,531
Middle half: $73,410 to $188,950
Best-paid program, five years out
$239,085
Computer Science
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$49,276
Fine and Studio Arts
Do Cornell students finish?
Of the students who started full time, first time.
Back for second year
98.4%
Graduate in six years
94.5%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
97% graduated
1% transferred, 0% still enrolled
Who goes to Cornell?
Women
54.6%
First in their family at college
15.4%
Part-time
1%
Students per teacher
9
- Background
- White 31%, Hispanic 13%, Black 7%, Asian 27%, Two or more 6%, International 10%
- Housing
- Campus housing, 8,747 beds
What do Cornell graduates earn, by program?
Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.
Computer science
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 476 | $100,205 | $169,125 | $12,449 |
| Computer Science | 1,034 | $151,551 | $239,085 | $12,500 |
Engineering
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Engineering | 27 | $74,548 | $104,635 | Hidden |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering | 24 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 99 | $81,507 | Hidden | $16,962 |
| Chemical Engineering | 76 | $90,501 | $119,923 | $13,500 |
| Civil Engineering | 69 | $78,367 | $99,087 | Hidden |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 177 | $110,607 | $166,324 | $12,750 |
| Engineering Physics | 49 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Engineering, General | 10 | Hidden | $98,428 | Hidden |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 59 | $61,084 | $100,494 | $8,000 |
| Materials Engineering | 42 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Mechanical Engineering | 284 | $93,525 | $121,528 | $14,163 |
| Operations Research | 141 | $102,318 | $154,509 | $13,500 |
Business and commerce
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 561 | $92,126 | $112,976 | $10,883 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 559 | $74,192 | $122,271 | $12,000 |
Health sciences and kinesiology
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health | 61 | Hidden | Hidden | $13,520 |
Life sciences
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Business and Management | 499 | $101,659 | $151,443 | $13,000 |
| Agriculture, General | 113 | $55,055 | $83,364 | $10,500 |
| Animal Sciences | 149 | $38,582 | $66,003 | $11,146 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | 259 | $44,061 | $81,398 | $8,567 |
| Biology, General | 531 | $42,665 | $76,194 | $12,500 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 64 | Hidden | $131,673 | Hidden |
| Food Science and Technology | 58 | $66,519 | $81,299 | Hidden |
| International Agriculture | 25 | Hidden | $69,197 | Hidden |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 183 | $43,280 | $69,481 | $12,500 |
| Plant Sciences | 40 | Hidden | Hidden | $8,604 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 15 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Math and physical sciences
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 20 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 16 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Chemistry | 88 | $47,020 | $106,210 | $11,351 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 35 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Mathematics | 213 | $114,798 | $155,471 | $11,235 |
| Physics | 93 | Hidden | Hidden | $10,000 |
| Statistics | 66 | $95,495 | Hidden | $15,572 |
Arts and humanities
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 18 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| English Language and Literature, General | 80 | $47,541 | $71,242 | $14,394 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| History | 57 | $49,183 | $73,425 | Hidden |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 41 | $25,278 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Philosophy | 52 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 4 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 35 | $53,990 | Hidden | Hidden |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Education (teaching)
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education, General | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Fine and performing arts
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 69 | $37,201 | $49,276 | $12,000 |
| Music | 17 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 19 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Architecture and design
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 139 | $69,892 | $75,930 | $16,508 |
| Architecture | 0 | Hidden | $78,177 | Hidden |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 55 | Hidden | $83,942 | $9,750 |
| Environmental Design | 0 | Hidden | $85,618 | Hidden |
| Landscape Architecture | 19 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
General arts and science (major chosen later)
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 26 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Cognitive Science | 3 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Human Biology | 100 | Hidden | Hidden | $12,447 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 43 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Nutrition Sciences | 51 | Hidden | $84,882 | $13,500 |
| Science, Technology and Society | 12 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Other programs
| Program | Graduates | Pay, one year out | Pay, five years out | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | 0 | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
Compare Cornell with other universities
Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.
Where these numbers come from
College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.
How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.
Careerhelp is not affiliated with Cornell University. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.
Social sciences