Cornell University
Private Research University in Ithaca, NY. Six-year graduation rate 95%. Median 10-year earnings $104,043.
A decade after enrolling, the median Cornell University student earns $104,043 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. 95% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Median debt at graduation is $14,000, a light load against those earnings. On economic mobility, 2.9% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.13 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 95% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Admit rate 9% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
Cornell University admits just 9% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. 62,993 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. 64% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. 40% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 730–770 | 1,424 (40%) |
| SAT Math | 770–800 | |
| ACT Composite | 33–35 | 455 (13%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Cornell University →Academics
95% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention is strong at 98%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. A 9:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. With 16,071 undergraduates, this is a large institution — expect the administrative scale and the range of offerings that come with it.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 15,955 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $26,361 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The income table below is the number that matters — $1,776 at $0–30k versus $49,992 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 51% of students at an average of $63,849. 18% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 3,537 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $1,776 |
| $30–48k | $4,070 |
| $48–75k | $6,796 |
| $75–110k | $14,311 |
| $110k+ | $49,992 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,862 of these 15,955 students, totalling $12,985,578 — an average of $4,537 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Tompkins County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)