Be Cornell-Bound with IvyBound!
Cornell University-- #17 (tied) National University (US News & World Report)
Cornell University is a private, Ivy League university founded in 1865, and the land-grant university for New York state. For that reason, Cornell has a unique responsibility within the Ivy League—to make contributions in all fields of knowledge in a manner that prioritizes public engagement to help improve the quality of life in our state, the nation, the world.
Cornell’s mission is to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell also aims, through public service, to enhance the lives and livelihoods of students, the people of New York and others around the world.
“I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”
– EZRA CORNELL, 1868
Cornell has taken to heart the revolutionary spirit that founded their university and encourage each other to pursue unpredicted lines of thinking in order to effect change on local and international scales. Cornell aspires to be the exemplary comprehensive research university for the 21st century. Faculty, staff and students thrive at Cornell because of its unparalleled combination of quality and breadth; its open, collaborative and innovative culture; its founding commitment to diversity and inclusion; its vibrant rural and urban campuses; and its land-grant legacy of public engagement.
Admissions Requirements
Application Fee | $80 |
Standardized Tests | SAT or ACT, essay not required. SAT scores are superscored. ACT scores are not superscored. |
SAT Subject Tests | SAT Subject Tests different for each undergraduate college/school: -Agriculture and Life Sciences: SAT Subject Tests are not required -Architecture, Art, and Planning: SAT Subject Tests are not required -Arts and Sciences: two subjects of your choice -Engineering: mathematics (any level) and a science -Cornell SC Johnson College of Business: SAT Subject Tests are not required -Human Ecology: SAT Subject Tests are not required -Industrial and Labor Relations: SAT Subject Tests are not required |
AP and IB exams | You may self-report |
Supplement Questions/Essays (found in the Writing Supplement section in My Colleges tab on the Common Application- Questions are updated August of every year.) | The primary focus of your college interest essay should be what you intend to study at Cornell. |
Recommendations | Counselor Recommendation and Two Teacher Evaluations |
From Your High School | School Report, Transcript, Mid-Year Report, Final Report |
Interview | Students applying to the Architecture program are required to participate in an interview as part of the admission process. Applicants applying to the Department of Art are encouraged, although not required, to have an interview. |
International Students | TOEFL, IELTS |
Portfolio | -College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Landscape architecture- portfolio is required. -Architecture, Art, and Planning: Architecture- file portfolio required Art: portfolio required (online submission) -Human Ecology: Design and environmental analysis: design challenge is required. Fashion design and management: design supplement is required. |
Early Decision | November 1 - Submit all required application materials (application mailing instructions) November 1: Financial aid application materials due for international students November 21- Financial aid application materials due for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens Mid-December - Admission decisions and financial aid awards announced |
Regular Decision | January 2- Submit all required application materials (application mailing instructions) January 2- Financial aid application materials due for international students February 15 - Financial aid application materials due for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens Early April- Admission decisions and financial aid awards announced May 1- Reply to offer of admission |
**The seven undergraduate schools have different requirements, please confirm on Cornell’s website before applying. College and School Admissions Requirements
Academic Parameters
When applying to an institution, it is important to look at the academic information of previous applicants. This includes the SAT/ACT test scores, SAT Subject test scores (if available), GPA ranges, or class ranking. By looking at these data points, you may assess where you fall and how likely is your admission into this college. Please note, there are students who do fall below the middle range and are still admitted, but then their application has one or more factors that boosts their application, such as a special talent, a recruitable athlete, legacy, racial or socioeconomic minority. Use the chart below to see where you fall and if you may raise your test scores and grades to keep your application in the running.
Testing/GPA Guidelines
SAT Range (25th to 75th percentiles) | SAT ERW: 680 to 750 SAT Math: 710 to 790 |
ACT Range (25th to 75th percentiles) | Composite Score: 32 to 34 |
Rank | 82.8% of Students in Top 10% of their class |
IvyBound Consulting featured Cornell University on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter from June 17 - June 23, 2019
Day 1 • Cornell University
According to US News & World Report, Cornell University is ranked #16 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Please check their website to read up on these indicators. We are using US News for its popularity, but by no means should they be the only source in determining your “best fit” college. Your best fit colleges should be determined by your academic goals, your personality fit, and financial considerations.
Cornell University:
Private institution with a public mission, total undergraduate enrollment of 14,907, and the campus size is 745 acres.
History:
Founded in 1865
Setting:
Rural, located in Ithaca, New York
Tuition & Fees:
$55,188 (2018-19)
Housing:
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. 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.
Admit Rate:
Very competitive.
Diversity:
Cornell has a percentage of 46.1% males and 53.9% females. Ethnicity/Race: 34.2% White, 18.7% Asian, 8.3% African American, 15.3% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, 5.1% Multicultural, 18% Unreported. 11.5% International.
Religious Affiliation:
None
Other Awards by US News:
#16 (tie) in National Universities, #3 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #43 (tie) in Best Undergraduate Teaching.
Day 2 •School Mission, Mascot, Sports
Mascot:
Cornell’s mascot is Touchdown the Bear.
Colors:
Carnelian and White
Sports:
Cornell has 36 varsity intercollegiate teams that have the nickname of the Big Red. Cornell’s varsity athletic teams consistently challenge for NCAA Division I titles in a number of sports, including men’s wrestling, men’s lacrosse, men’s ice hockey, and rowing (the women’s crew program is subject to the NCAA, while the men’s rowing program is governed by its own administrative body, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association).
Day 3 • Academics/Top Undergraduate Majors/Student Life
Academics:
The student-faculty ratio at Cornell University is 9:1, and the school has 57.3 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Students have access to more than 100 fields of study, many of which provide opportunities for learning and engagement that span the state, the nation and the world. Cornell NYC Tech is training the student entrepreneurs who will drive the 21st century’s digital transformation of publishing, advertising, news and information, and entertainment.
Academic Calendar:
Semester system.
Undergraduate programs:
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.
Top Undergraduate Majors:
Engineering; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences; and Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Highly-ranked Graduate programs:
Engineering, Biological and Biomedical Sciences and Business/Management/MArketing/Related Support Services.
Student Life:
Cornell has a thriving Greek life, with more than 60 fraternity and sorority chapters. The university also has more than 1,000 student organizations on campus, running the gamut from kayaking to full-armor jousting, from varsity and club sports and a cappella groups to improvisational theatre, from political clubs and publications to chess and video game clubs. The Cornell International Affairs Society sends over 100 Cornellians to collegiate Model United Nations conferences across North America and hosts the Cornell Model United Nations Conference each spring for over 500 high school students.
Day 4 • Notable Alumni
Cornell counted 245,027 living alumni as of August 2008. Its alumni constitute 31 Marshall Scholars and 28 Rhodes Scholars, and Cornell is the only university with three female winners of unshared Nobel Prizes among its graduates. Many alumni maintain university ties through Homecoming’s reunion weekend, through Cornell Magazine, and through the Cornell Club of New York. In 2015, Cornell ranked #5 nationwide for gifts and bequests from alumni.
Day 5 • Applying to Cornell? Be Collegebound with IvyBound
Looking at first-time, Freshman Applicants:
Admission Rate:
10.6% (including early applicants)
Total Applicants:
51,324
Admitted:
5,448
Enrolled:
3,295
Yield Rate:
61%- Number of students who actually attended or matriculated once admitted.
Early Option:
Early Action (November 1 is the deadline)
Regular Deadline:
January 1
Admission Requirements:
See Table on pages 2-4
Admissions into this prestigious University, Cornell University, is extremely competitive as the acceptance rate is decreasing each year. With the increase of sheer number of applicants, how do you stand out and get admitted? If Cornell is one of the colleges on your list, use this invaluable worksheet to plan and prepare to apply to Cornell.
IvyBound Consulting offers personalized college admissions services to help you create winning college applications that surely gets you admitted. Choose from one-on-one counseling services, college admissions online course- Applications That Get You Admitted!, private Facebook group membership, and essay review and editing services.
Next week, I will cover, US News Week’s #17 (tied) Nationally Ranked University, Rice. Stay Tuned.