Cornell University

Summary

Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 13,931, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 745 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Cornell University's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 15. Its tuition and fees are $39,666 (2010-11).

Cornell University, located in Ithaca, N.Y., has more than 500 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 around 70 total fraternity and sorority chapters. Cornell has more than 30 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Ivy League. The Cornell Big Red are perhaps best known for their successful men’s lacrosse team, which won seven consecutive Ivy League titles from 2003 to 2009. Cornell also has a strong hockey program.

Cornell’s 14 colleges and schools each admit their own students and provide their 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, Weill Cornell Medical College, and a well-regarded program in education. Cornell is also well known for its top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine and the highly esteemed School of Hotel Management. One of Cornell’s oldest traditions is Dragon Day, during which a dragon built by first-year architecture students is paraded through campus and then burned during a bonfire celebrating the coming of spring. Notable alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, author E.B. White, and Bill Nye, the "Science Guy."

School mission (as provided by the school):

Cornell University was founded in 1865 as a coeducational, nonsectarian institution where "any person can find instruction in any study." Once dubbed... Read More

Applying

When applying to Cornell University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 2, and the early decision deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 1. The application fee at Cornell University is $70. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 19.1 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2009 acceptance rate	19%
Application deadline	January 2
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Cornell University is 11:1, and the school has 56.1 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Cornell University include: Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences; Biological and biomedical sciences; Business, management, marketing, and related support services; Engineering; and Social sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96.2 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	11:1
4-year graduation rate	85% - High
Five most popular majors for 2009 graduates
Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences 13% Biological and biomedical sciences 12% Business, management, marketing, and related support services 14% Engineering 18% Social sciences 10%

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Student Life

Cornell University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 13,931, with a gender distribution of 50.6 percent male students and 49.4 percent female students. 56.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 44.0 percent of students live off campus. Cornell University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Cornell University.

Total enrollment	20,633
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Cornell University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Cornell University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Cornell University.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Cornell University, 45.5 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $31,911.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$39,666 (2010-11)
Room and board	$12,650 (2010-11) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

Cornell is an excellent school with an excellent reputation. When I tell people I went there, the most common reaction is, "ooh -- Cornell." A close second is, "ooh -- look at you!" When I was there, no one gave a damn about any sport other than hockey, and those games are fun. Not that there aren't other sports that are good, it was just that nobody cared. Although we finally made the NCAA basketball tournament, and I went to the game in Anaheim -- go school! We lost that game, really, really badly. It was kind of hard to watch. Still, cool to be there.

KA Alum

Cornell is very big but very manageable because of the different colleges, which give students a chance to find their niche as well as their own area of the campus that they know extremely well. College town is great, so are the commons. Cornell is beautiful and natural, but doesn't feel isolated because there are plenty of places to go out to dinner. I didn't realize how big Greek life was here before I came. Joining a sorority turned out to be an amazing choice that I might not have made at a school where Greek life wasn't so popular- on the other hand, for people who thought 1/3 of the students being involved in Greek life wasn't a lot and do not want to join a sorority or frat, may be frustrated because the school does not give the first impression of being as Greek as it is. Best thing about Cornell is there is every type of person- preps, jocks, people who work insanely hard, alternative-type people, etc. Everyone can find someone like them.

Anonymous Freshman

The best thing about Cornell is the spring time - when the weather is absolutely (excuse the pun) Gorge-ous. At the beginning of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester, you have the opportunity to go gorge jumping, lay out in the gorges (to sunbathe or explore the waterfalls). Also, the restaurants here at Cornell are great. This is the perfect environment to work and play. One thing that I'd change is the amount of work and the way that the Cornell grading system works. I've taken a lot of big lecture classes and they purposely make the tests difficult to pull the mean down.... Read More