What makes Cornell different
- You apply to a college, not just the university. Each undergraduate college has its own majors and requirements.
- Unusually wide range of majors for an Ivy, including agriculture and life sciences, hotel administration, and industrial and labor relations.
- Part private, part public. Cornell is New York's land-grant university, and several of its colleges are partly state-supported, which is why it has more in-state students than any other Ivy.
What the admissions office says (as of October 2026)
- Testing: Cornell requires the SAT or ACT for all eight undergraduate colleges.
- What they look for: Cornell's admissions office says it considers each part of an application "to evaluate your fit for Cornell's academics, culture, and philosophy" (August 2026).
- Takeaway: Because you apply to a specific college, show why that college's programs fit your interests.
See all eight side by side: Ivy League testing policies · What Ivy admissions officers look for.
What Cornell students study
The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): computer science (467), industrial and labor relations (286), hotel administration (271), biology (264), agricultural economics (243) and information technology (206). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.
You may thrive at Cornell if…
- You already have a direction, or a few, and want a college built around it.
- You'd like a big school's range of people, courses and activities.
- A campus in a small city surrounded by gorges and countryside appeals to you.
Worth asking about
- How easy is it to switch colleges or take classes across them?
- If you're a New York resident, what tuition applies at the college you're considering?
How Cornell compares with the other Ivies
Cornell is the largest Ivy and, with Penn, one of two where you apply to a specific undergraduate school. See how the 8 Ivy League schools differ.
FAQ
Is Cornell an Ivy League school? Yes. Cornell is one of the eight Ivy League schools, and the only one that is also its state's land-grant university.
What is Cornell known for? Its many undergraduate colleges and the widest range of majors in the Ivy League.
Is Cornell the biggest Ivy League school? Yes, with about 16,000 undergraduates.
What is Cornell's acceptance rate? 8.4% for fall 2025: 6,077 of 72,523 first-year applicants were admitted, according to its Common Data Set 2025–26. Source For fall 2024 it was 8.8%.
How much is Cornell tuition per semester? About $34,657 a semester, half the published $69,314 a year, before aid.
Is Cornell an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, Cornell University is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →
How many students go to Cornell? About 16,000 undergraduates (fall 2024).
Not sure whether a big school fits you?
Lens's assessments show whether you lean toward smaller or larger campuses, and why. Start with Lens →