Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · offers Graduate degrees

Small city

9%Acceptance rate
$28,690Average net price / year
95%Graduation rate
$104,043Median earnings 10 yrs after entry
$14,000Median debt at graduation
15,995Undergraduates

Cost

In-state tuition & fees
$69,314
Total cost of attendance
$88,140
Room & board
$19,428
Books & supplies
$1,226
Average net price
$28,690

Net price by family income

$0–30k
$1,776
$30–48k
$4,070
$48–75k
$6,796
$75–110k
$14,311
$110k+
$49,992

Official net price calculator

Admissions

Acceptance rate
8.8%
Average SAT
1535
SAT reading (25–75%)
730–770
SAT math (25–75%)
770–800
ACT composite (25–75%)
33–35

Outcomes

Graduation rate
95%
First-year retention
98%
Median earnings (6 yrs)
$87,830
Median earnings (10 yrs)
$104,043
Median debt (graduates)
$14,000
3-year loan default rate
0.0%
Students with Pell grants
18%
Students with federal loans
18%

Programs: what graduates earn

73 of 270 programs have published earnings or debt data. Earnings are median salaries of graduates one year after completing the program (or the latest available year).

Bachelor's degree

ProgramGraduatesEarningsMedian debt
Computer Science507$152,656$14,750
Computer and Information Sciences, General206$103,650$15,500
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering100$100,516$14,725
Operations Research73$96,377$15,000
Agricultural Business and Management254$92,163$12,500
Mathematics103$87,251$13,500
Chemical Engineering41$85,578$14,361
Mechanical Engineering132$85,440$15,500
Economics157$84,967$15,000
Statistics35$82,531—
Civil Engineering36$80,261$12,500
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology31$78,358$15,500
Public Policy Analysis44$77,906$15,125
Hospitality Administration/Management290$77,803$13,086
Human Resources Management and Services273$73,436$14,000
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering33$69,558$13,176
Food Science and Technology31$64,062$14,749
Communication and Media Studies64$62,182$14,400
Biomedical/Medical Engineering44$61,397$15,500
Political Science and Government116$60,292$14,400
Agricultural Engineering27$54,435$14,814
Agriculture, General57$53,465$13,109
Physics48$50,933$15,961
Architectural Sciences and Technology72$50,428$17,315
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities21$46,072—
History24$44,706$17,110
Public Health33$44,516$12,133
Area Studies37$43,831$17,250
Natural Resources Conservation and Research79$41,621$15,500
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other176$38,841$13,210
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services90$38,401$15,259
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning28$37,131$12,952
Sociology47$36,709$11,650
Psychology, General70$36,630$13,000
Animal Sciences81$36,204$12,730
Biology, General254$34,500$15,500
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics18$33,419$15,610
English Language and Literature, General44$33,270$16,300
Plant Sciences19$32,236$14,250
Fine and Studio Arts36$31,073$15,500
Nutrition Sciences29$30,508$13,250
Chemistry45$28,372$15,121
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services21$53,112$15,500
Apparel and Textiles25$94,967—
Materials Engineering16$78,722$16,199
Architecture0$59,738—
Engineering, General7$84,905—

Master's degree

ProgramGraduatesEarningsMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations574$179,274$129,912
Computer Science290$153,588$34,528
Operations Research163$125,810—
Computer and Information Sciences, General175$123,586$73,233
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering164$123,494—
Systems Engineering124$117,455—
Human Resources Management and Services95$112,291$44,500
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering21$102,439—
Mechanical Engineering85$99,587$21,805
Real Estate34$89,132—
Engineering-Related Fields109$83,323—
Health and Medical Administrative Services77$82,997$98,447
Civil Engineering50$81,361—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering81$78,844$60,500
Architectural Sciences and Technology79$67,278$145,928
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning0$64,623$43,408
Landscape Architecture37$61,261—
Public Administration130$61,190$51,608
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions—$126,082—
Hospitality Administration/Management70$77,283—
Chemical Engineering47$86,610—
Architecture0$62,914—

Doctoral degree

ProgramGraduatesEarningsMedian debt
Law—$213,356$162,160
Biomedical/Medical Engineering19$111,753—
Veterinary Medicine—$100,161$148,213

First professional degree

ProgramGraduatesEarningsMedian debt
Medicine—$81,671—

Students

Undergraduates
15,995
Graduate students
11,956
Part-time
1%
Women / men
55% / 45%
White
31%
Hispanic
13%
Black
7%
Asian
27%
International
10%

Faculty & school

Student–faculty ratio
9:1
Avg faculty salary
$161,577 / year
Full-time faculty
93%
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Website
www.cornell.edu
Also known as
NA

Most popular fields

  • Agriculture – 11% of degrees
  • Natural Resources & Conservation – 3% of degrees
  • Architecture – 3% of degrees
  • Computer & Information Sciences – 19% of degrees
  • Engineering – 15% of degrees
  • Biological Sciences – 10% of degrees

Frequently asked questions

What is the acceptance rate at Cornell University?

8.8% of applicants were admitted, and admitted students averaged 1535 on the SAT.

How much does Cornell University cost?

The average net price after grants is $28,690 per year; in-state tuition and fees are $69,314 and the full cost of attendance is $88,140.

How much do Cornell University graduates earn?

Students who enrolled earn a median of $104,043 ten years later. See the program table above for salaries by major.

What is the graduation rate?

95% of first-time, full-time students graduate within 150% of normal time.

Other colleges in Ithaca

CollegeNet priceAcceptanceGraduationEarnings
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · 4,242 students		 $33,92669%76%$63,548

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.