Cornell University: Rankings, Fees, Programs, Placements

Some of the popular alumni members at are given as follows:

Alumni	Best Known for	Image
Tsai Ing-wen	Incumbent President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016
Ruth Bader Ginsburg	American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020
Gillian Anderson	American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series The X-Files, ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film The House of Mirth (2000)
Christopher Reeve	American actor, film director, author, and activist, best known for playing the title character in the film Superman (1978) and three sequels
Ann Coulter	American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer
Bill Nye	American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science education television show Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993–1999)
Kurt Vonnegut	American writer and humorist known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels
Bill Maher	American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher
Jane Lynch	American actress, comedian, and singer. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009–2015)
Toni Morrison	American novelist. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970

Cornell University was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickinson White. The university opened its doors in 1868. The university is a federal land-grant institution of New York State, a privately endowed university, and a member of the Ivy League. In 1894, the state legislature chartered the New York State Veterinary College. Then, in 1898, Cornell’s Medical College was founded.

• Then, in 1967, the men’s hockey team of Cornell won its first NCAA title. In 1969, the Cornell Conference on Women took place. In the late 1960s, Cornell was among the Ivy League universities that experienced heightened student activism related to cultural issues, civil rights, etc.
• In 1985, Cornell University’s abroad program began, offering a wide range of opportunities for a meaningful international experience
• In 2017, the Cornell Tech campus was dedicated in New York City. It offers graduate and professional education that focuses on research, education, and innovation for the digital world
• In 2004, Cornell and Stanford University laid the cornerstone for the building and operation of the ‘Bridging the Rift Center’

Student life at Cornell is just not about studies, students can get involved with community life. Students can find their place at Cornell by checking out the 1,000+ student organizations, intramural and club sport teams and leagues, opportunities to cheer for Cornell Big Red student-athletes, outdoor adventure and climbing trips, etc. Additionally, students can support many student-run campus traditions like Slope Day, ClubFest, Movies on the Arts Quad, and more.

Student Organizations

To get involved with Cornell University’s student life, students can check out the 1,000+ student organizations. The oldest student organization at Cornell is the Cornell University Glee Club. The university’s Astronomical Society runs public observing nights every Friday evening at the Fuertes Observatory.

Recreation & Sports

Students can also explore the numerous fitness centers of the university, intramural and varsity sports, the Outdoor Education program, the Physical Education program, etc.

Press

The student body at Cornell produces numerous works by way of print. Student-run newspapers include The Cornell Review and The Cornell Daily Sun. Other press outlets include the Cornell Lunatic, the Cornell Chronicle, etc.

Housing & Dining

Cornell students can live on campus while studying. The university has a 2-year residential requirement for first-year and second-year students, including a meal plan. The university's residential system is divided into North Campus, West Campus, and Collegetown. As of 2025, Cornell’s dining program has been ranked fifth in the nation.

The main campus of Cornell University is located in Ithaca, NY, USA. Also, there are three satellite campuses of the university, the Medical School and Cornell Tech, and a branch of Medical School in Al Rayyan. Cornell University campus size is 2,300 acres. Ithaca, where the main campus of this university is situated is home to a wide range of restaurants, shops, bookstores, etc. There are more than 260 major buildings at the university.

Ithaca Campus

The main Cornell University campus is located in Ithaca, New York, on East Hill. The campus size is around 745 acres. In 2011, Travel + Leisure recognized this university’s Ithaca campus as one of the most beautiful in the U.S. Majority of the academic and administrative facilities are located on its main campus in Ithaca.

Housing

Students can live on campus while studying at Cornell. The university has a 2-year residential requirement for first-year and second-year students, including a meal plan. By living on campus students are going to have access to the university’s 30+ world-class eateries. Students can live in residential halls. For graduate students, on-campus housing option is available too. Hasbrouck apartments and co-operative housing are some of the options available for graduate students. They can also live in Maplewood Apartments, that are located near the campus. For UG students, the living expenses can be around USD 25,038 for 9 months and USD 37,165 for Graduate students for international students.

Library

Cornell University has over 10 million holdings, as of 2020. The university’s library is the 13th largest academic library in the U.S. In 2006, the Princeton Review ranked it as the 11th-best college library. The A.D. White Reading Room in Uris room, contains much of the 30,000-volume collection donated to the university by its co-founder and first president. Furthermore, Cornell Law Library is one of the 12 depositaries for the print record briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.

As of Fall 2024, the total number of students enrolled at Cornell University is 26,000+. Out of this, 16,128 are UG students and 10,665 are PG students. International students from 131 countries make up 26% of this university’s student body. More than 6,400 international students enrolled from 131 countries at the university as of Fall 2024. From India, over 800 students enrolled at the university. For Fall 2024, the acceptance rate of Cornell is 8.41%. This indicates that the university is very selective at the time of admission. An overview of Cornell University acceptance rate over the years is given below:

Students can also check out the Top 10 Hardest Universities to get into in USA

Cornell University has 37 varsity sports teams for men and women. The athletic teams of this university are known as the Cornell Big Red. The university is an NCAA Division I institution. It is a member of the Ivy League Athletic Conference. Some of the men’s sports teams at the university are baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis, swimming & diving, etc. A few of the women’s sports teams are basketball, tennis, softball, field hockey, track & field, etc.

Additionally, this university is home to one of the largest intramural sports programs in the country and the most comprehensive collegiate outdoor education program in the U.S. Also, Cornell has five fitness centers across campus and an extensive array of cardio and weight equipment. There are also intramural sports at the university. Cornell also boasts about one of the largest and most diverse Physical Culture programs in the country, with more than 250 courses. No merit aid or athletic scholarships are offered at Cornell. Check colleges offering MS in Sports in USA

For students applying to Fall 2025, Cornell is test-recommended or score-free, depending on the school / college. On the other hand, students applying to Fall 2026 or beyond are required to submit SAT / ACT scores. UG applicants can apply to Cornell via the Common App. The graduate applicants can apply via ApplyWeb. Additionally, an application fee has to be submitted. For UG applicants, the application fee is USD 85 (Around INR 7,200). On the other hand, the application fee for PG applicants is USD 105 (Around INR 9k). Know details about Application Process for USA

Admission Requirements

Given below are the general admission requirements for Cornell University international students:

UG

• Official high school / secondary school transcripts for grades 9-11 and 12th-grade courses in-progress
• School report
• Counsellor letter of recommendation
• Two teacher recommendations
• Mid-year report
• Additional supplemental materials like portfolio, design supplement, etc.
• SAT / ACT score (as applicable)
• English language proficiency tests such as IELTS / TOEFL / Duolingo

PG

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent or a Master’s degree
• For applicants who want to study Doctoral and Research Master’s degree programs, they must have at least a 4-year UG degree, or a 3-year degree + a Post-Graduate Diploma
• English language proficiency score: IELTS / TOEFL accepted

Documents required to apply

Some of the documents required to apply to Cornell are:

• Academic transcripts
• English language proficiency score
• Personal statement
• GMAT / GRE

Cornell University is a research university, classified among R1: Doctoral Universities with very high research activity. It is an Ivy League University. In FY24, $1.61 billion was invested in Cornell’s research. There are 200+ interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and programs engaged in research. Over 50 Cornellians have been honored with Nobel Prizes for their contributions to knowledge and society. The National Science Foundation is a major research supporter of research at Cornell.

This university is ranked 4th in the world for producing graduates who pursue PhDs in Engineering or Natural Sciences at American institutions and fifth for graduates pursuing PhDs in any field. Cornell has made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear physics, space exploration, high-energy physics, automotive safety, computing technology, etc. In 2009, this university spent $671 billion on Science and Engineering Research and Development, the 16th highest in the U.S.

As of 2005-06, the faculty of Cornell University included three Nobel Laureates, two Turing Award winners, a Fields Medal winner, two Legion of Honor recipients, three National Medal of Science winners, an Andrei Sakharov Prize winner, five MacArthur award winners, four Pulitzer prize winners, etc. The names included in the list of Cornell’s notable faculty are: