Cornell University - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges

Cornell University

#12 in National Universities (tie)

4 year • Ithaca, NY

4 year • Ithaca, NY
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Overview

Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 15,735 (fall 2022), its setting is rural, and the campus size is 745 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Cornell University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #12. Its tuition and fees are $66,014.


Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, has more than 1,000 student organizations on campus, which range from the Big Red Marching Band to the International Affairs Society. First-year students live together on north campus, and the university has housing options for upperclassmen and graduate students, though many choose to live off campus. Cornell has a thriving Greek life, with more than 60 fraternity and sorority chapters. Cornell has 35 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Ivy League. The Cornell Big Red are well known for their successful men's lacrosse and men's wrestling teams; the school also has a strong ice hockey program.


Each of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges and schools admits its own students and provides its own faculty, even though every graduate receives a degree from Cornell University. Cornell's two largest undergraduate colleges are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Its graduate schools include the highly ranked S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, College of Engineering, Law School and Weill Cornell Medical College. Cornell is also well known for its top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine and the highly esteemed School of Hotel Administration. One of Cornell's oldest traditions is Dragon Day, during which a dragon built by first-year architecture students is paraded through campus. Notable alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author E.B. White and Bill Nye, the "Science Guy."

Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 15,735 (fall 2022), its setting is rural, and the campus size is 745 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Cornell University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #12. Its tuition and fees are $66,014.


Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, has more than 1,000 student organizations on campus, which range from the Big Red Marching Band to the International Affairs Society. First-year students live together on north campus, and the university has housing options for upperclassmen and graduate students, though many choose to live off campus. Cornell has a thriving Greek life, with more than 60 fraternity and sorority chapters. Cornell has 35 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Ivy League. The Cornell Big Red are well known for their successful men's lacrosse and men's wrestling teams; the school also has a strong ice hockey program.


Each of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges and schools admits its own students and provides its own faculty, even though every graduate receives a degree from Cornell University. Cornell's two largest undergraduate colleges are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Its graduate schools include the highly ranked S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, College of Engineering, Law School and Weill Cornell Medical College. Cornell is also well known for its top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine and the highly esteemed School of Hotel Administration. One of Cornell's oldest traditions is Dragon Day, during which a dragon built by first-year architecture students is paraded through campus. Notable alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author E.B. White and Bill Nye, the "Science Guy."

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At-a-Glance

Setting

Rural

Tuition & Fees

$66,014

Undergraduate Enrollment

15,735

Acceptance Rate

7%

2024 Rankings

Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.

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Admissions

Jan. 2

Application Deadline

7%

Acceptance Rate

SAT Range*

1470-1570

ACT Range*

33-35

High School GPA*

N/A

* These are the average scores of applications admitted to this school. Ranges represent admitted applicants who fell within the 25th and 75th percentile.

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Data provided by U.S. News College Compass Users.

Cost

Tuition & Fees

$66,014

Room & Board

$18,554(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$59,644

$29,011

Annual Cost*

$29,011

Annual Cost*

Tuition & Fees

$66,014

Room & Board

$18,554(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$59,644

*Average cost after aid

Academics

89%

4-Year Graduation Rate

9:1

Student/Faculty Ratio

55%

Classes With Fewer Than 20 Students

Popular Majors

MAJOR

% OF GRADUATES

ALUMNI STARTING SALARY

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

17%

$94,019

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

13%

$72,283

Engineering

13%

$80,451

Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields

10%

$45,442

Social Sciences

8%

$72,919

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
17% Percent of Graduates
$94,019 Alumni Starting Salary
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
13% Percent of Graduates
$72,283 Alumni Starting Salary
Engineering
13% Percent of Graduates
$80,451 Alumni Starting Salary
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields
10% Percent of Graduates
$45,442 Alumni Starting Salary
Social Sciences
8% Percent of Graduates
$72,919 Alumni Starting Salary

* In cases where salary data at the specific major level is unavailable, a general salary for the major category is displayed.

Faculty Research Impact

Bibliometric Rank

12

Bibliometrics is the statistical analyses of publications and citations for the purpose of measuring faculty research impact.

Publications Cited in Top 25% of Journals

70%

Publications Cited in Top 5% of Journals

27%

Total Papers published between 2018-2022

54,820

Citations Per Publication

19:1

Data provided byLast updated 2023.

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Students

15,735

Undergraduate Enrollment

Graduate Enrollment

10,163

Total Enrollment

25,898

Full-Time Degree-Seeking Students

15,629

Student Diversity

Gender Distribution

Male46%
Female54%

Ethnic Diversity

50%

Minority Enrollment

50%

Minority Enrollment

33%

White

23%

Asian

15%

Hispanic

10%

International

7%

Black

6%

Unknown

5%

Two or more races

Not Specified is not included in this breakdown due to an enrollment of 0%.

Campus Life

Housing and Dorms

Types of campus housing available:

  • coed dorms
  • women's dorms
  • sorority housing
  • fraternity housing
  • apartments for married students
  • apartment for single students
  • special housing for disabled students
  • special housing for international students
  • cooperative housing
  • theme housing
  • other housing options
  • Student Activities

    104+

    Sports Teams

    36

    Fraternities

    19

    Sororities

    After College

    Graduation Rate

    89%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    37%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $28,408

    $66,972

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    $66,972

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    Graduation Rate

    89%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    37%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $28,408

    Reviews & Ratings

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    Undergraduate data are based on the 2022 school year.

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