Cornell College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Admission and Advising

How hard is it to go into Cornell? Acquire most Cornell's admission requirements and discover strategies to write neat Cornell supplemental essays to increase your chances of getting in

LEARN HOW TO GET INTO CORNELL university — LEARN HOW TO Become INTO CORNELL university

Role 1: Introduction

If your child is a competitive applicant for Ivy League and other Ivy+ schools (e.g., Johns Hopkins, Duke), you might be encouraging them to apply to the youngest and largest Ivy: Cornell. Cornell's alumni are amongst the most notable in a diversity of fields, from hotel direction and engineering to psychology and veterinary sciences, so your child will take ample career opportunities afterward Cornell.

Cornell's beautiful campus, surrounded by hills, gorges, lakes, and breathtaking vistas, volition provide your child with the chance to escape into the bully outdoors. The boondocks of Ithaca, with more restaurants per capita than New York City, offers students enough of options for entertainment just a brusk walk from campus.

From years of advising students, we've assembled some crucial information for you lot and your kid about how to get into Cornell.

Cornell University comprises viii colleges that offer over four,000 courses. No wonder that the Cornell motto is "I would found an institution where whatsoever person tin find educational activity in any study."

Getting into Cornell would allow your child to study literature with revered writers, enquiry in the labs of earth-class biologists, study history in Cornell's expansive collection of archives, or pursue an interest in music in the country's oldest musicology department.

Your child can spend their summers taking advantage of the enormous network and funding opportunities available at Cornell. Mayhap they'll conduct enquiry at Cornell's medical school in New York City or travel to rural Ecuador to study an ethnic language. They might intern at the White House or at a tech company in the Bay Area. No matter what they pursue, the Cornell proper noun will catch the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Graduates lead startup companies, work on Wall Street, write poetry, and travel the earth with Fulbright Fellowships, to name a few opportunities. They are Nobel and Pulitzer winners, Telly stars, and Supreme Court Justices. With one of the largest networks in the Ivy League, Cornell and its alumni will assistance your child succeed throughout their career.

Cornell University rankings

Here's where Cornell ranks:

Forbes: thirteen
Niche: 17
U.S. News & World Report: 17
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Teaching: 11

(Suggested reading: Ivy League Rankings)

Where is Cornell?

Cornell is located in Ithaca, NY, a small town but over four hours away from New York City with a population of only over 32,000.

Cornell University setting

Rural. Picturesque and cozy, Ithaca is abode to fantabulous cafés, restaurants, bookstores, concert venues, and more. The rural campus is known for its access to nature, especially its lakes, gorges, waterfalls, hills, and canyons.

Cornell student population

Undergraduate population: xiv,743
Grad and professional school population: viii,877

Cornell acceptance rate

Here are admissions statistics for Cornell'south class of 2025:

Applications: 67,380
Acceptances: 5,836
Matriculants: 3,750
Acceptance charge per unit: 8.7%

(Suggested reading: Ivy League Acceptance Rates)

Cornell tuition and scholarships

The cost of attending Cornell depends on which of the academy's 8 colleges your child chooses to attend. That's due to the fact that sure Cornell colleges are "land contract colleges," meaning they receive funding from the state of New York, while others are "endowed colleges" and are privately funded. Every bit such, the tuition at Cornell's state contract colleges differs for in-state and out-of-country residents, whereas all students at the endowed colleges pay the same rate.

Cornell state contract colleges are comprised of:

The Higher of Agronomics and Life Science
The College of Human Ecology
The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business – Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
The School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Cornell's endowed colleges are equally follows:

The Higher of Architecture, Art and Planning
The College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Engineering
The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business concern – School of Hotel Administration

In 2021–2022, the toll of omnipresence (i.east., tuition, room, board, and fees) at Cornell's endowed colleges runs $80,287. At the state contract colleges, out-of-land students also pay $80,287, whereas in-state students pay $60,383.

Among the class of 2025, 49.3 pct have received need-based financial aid and the average honor is over $49,000. Students whose families earn under $60,000 per year generally receive financial aid packages without whatsoever loans or expected parental contribution. For students who exercise take out loans, the average debt upon graduation is under $24,000.

Who gets into Cornell?

To aid you lot appraise your kid'due south odds of getting into Cornell, we've compiled the demographic and academic statistics for the class of 2024:

83.7% of students who reported their high school class rank were in the acme x% of their graduating grade.
Boilerplate GPA: Cornell doesn't publish its average admitted pupil GPA.
Cornell average Human action score: 34
- 25th percentile: 32
- 75th percentile: 35
Cornell average Sat score: 1490
- 25th percentile: 1410
- 75th percentile: 1530
International students: nine.3%
White and Asian American students make up the majority of Cornell's incoming course at 32.5% and 22.4% respectively. 26.9% identify as under-represented minorities.
Near students pursue degrees in the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering, followed by the Higher of Agronomical & Life Sciences.

Part 2: Cornell Academy admissions requirements

Cornell academic requirements

Like most of its counterparts in the Ivy League and Ivy Plus accomplice, Cornell is seeking a sense of purpose from its students.

Cornell students show passion through success in extracurricular activities, especially by committing to a pocket-sized number of clubs, teams, projects, and leadership roles. Admissions officers are looking for students who accept developed a strong sense of what they might study and why Cornell is the all-time place to pursue that major.

Admissions officers will wait to come across if your child took advantage of all the opportunities they were presented in loftier school. This means that if your son'southward school but offered AP Calculus AB and AP US History, he should take both of those classes and equally many honors classes as possible. Cornell will be especially happy to come across that your son took a summertime course in chemistry at the local community higher or participated in a summer program at Dark-brown.

Here are the specifics for some of the larger colleges:

College of Arts & Sciences: four units of English, 3 of mathematics, three of science, and 3 of one strange language.
Higher of Engineering: 1 unit of chemistry, 1 of physics, and 4 of mathematics (ii of algebra, 1 of geometry, and 1 of calculus)
College of Agriculture and Life Scientific discipline: 4 units of English, four of mathematics, and 3 of scientific discipline (in physics, chemistry, and biological science).
Higher of Human Ecology: 4 units of English, iv of mathematics (calculus is strongly recommended), and 4 of science (Including 1 of biology, ane of chemical science and/or physics, and boosted cadre sciences such equally advanced biological science)

To come across the specific requirements for your child'south anticipated program, consult Cornell'southward Higher and Schoolhouse Admissions Requirements.

Cornell application requirements

Cornell accepts the Common Application, which ways your kid volition need the following to use:

Mutual App Essay
Cornell supplemental essays
Optional during the 2021–2022 application cycle: ACT or Sabbatum scores (certain Cornell colleges are non accepting test scores)
2 instructor letters of recommendation
1 counselor recommendation (from the schoolhouse college or guidance counselor)
School report, midyear report, and official transcripts sent from your child's schoolhouse

Function 3: Applying to Cornell early on action vs. regular decision

Your child can utilize early decision to Cornell by Nov one and receive a decision of either accepted, deferred, or denied, past mid-Dec.

Cornell follows the early decision (every bit opposed to early activity) model, which is binding. This means that your child must commit to attending Cornell if accepted. If accepted, they must withdraw all of their other applications.

Defer means your child volition exist re-entered into the puddle and will hear back past early Apr, and may be accepted, look-listed, or rejected and then. If they are accustomed after being deferred, they are free to attend another university if admitted with the regular decision puddle.

Your child tin can also apply regular determination, past Jan 2.

How exercise you know if your child should utilise to Cornell early on?

Early action might be the right selection for your kid:

If Cornell is their top choice
If there's no other school they'd like to employ to via early decision or restrictive early action
If they are ready to commit to attending Cornell
If they have a strong sense of what school and program they will pursue at Cornell
If their exam scores and grades are stiff past the end of junior year

In recent years, Cornell has accepted around 46 pct of its form in the early on decision puddle. That's probably because students who apply early decision to Cornell are well prepared academically, have a strong sense of what they will report at Cornell, and are enthused to commit to Cornell if accustomed.

Applying early decision offers a slight edge to applicants, as information technology shows that they are committed to attention the university.

Part 4: 2021–2022 Cornell supplemental essays (examples included)

(Annotation: While this section covers Cornell's admissions essays specifically, we encourage you to view additional successful college essay examples.)

Acing the supplemental essays is a crucial part of your child's strategy to get into Cornell. In addition to the Common App personal statement, Cornell'southward supplemental essays aid admissions officers develop a sense of why your child wants to study at Cornell, what they wish to study in that location, and how they might exist a potent fit. Cornell is looking for a stiff sense of purpose, and then students need to apply to the college which best fits their involvement, passions, and career goals.

Hither'south what Cornell writes about its supplemental essays, which they also phone call "college interest essays":

The primary focus of your college interest essay should exist what you intend to report at Cornell. In the online Common Awarding Writing Supplement, delight reply to the essay question below (maximum of 650 words) that corresponds to the undergraduate college or schoolhouse to which you are applying.

Cornell supplemental essay #1

Allow's take a look at the specific essay prompt for the College of Arts and Sciences, the most pop higher among Cornell applicants.

The prompt asks:

Students in Arts and Sciences encompass the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell's "whatsoever person…any written report" founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you lot are excited to explore, and specifically why you lot wish to pursue them in our Higher.

To think through Cornell's prompt, students demand:

To have an idea of what they might written report at Cornell
To bear witness how they are interested in a variety of topics and subjects
To explain why Cornell is the best identify to pursue their interests

Note that 650 words is the same length equally the Mutual App personal statement. Your child should set bated a similar amount of fourth dimension—perhaps slightly less—to this essay. Writing a coherent five-paragraph essay requires planning, preparation, and revision.

Hither'south how Alejandro, a 2nd-generation Mexican American from Texas, approached the prompt:

It all started in Geometry Honors.

Throughout middle school, I was an ordinary "smart kid." No one e'er recognized me every bit standing out. When I got to high school, I was placed in Geometry Honors, which was the most treacherous class ever, or so I heard. For the first time, I stood out. I was actually good at geometry, and, better yet, I enjoyed it. Finding "x" was no longer the problem, but a tool to observe a greater idea. Geometry pushed me to remember deeper. That'due south when I savage in beloved with learning.

Geometry made me thirst for knowledge. I yearned to acquire more about humans and society. How did we end up here? Why practise nosotros behave the fashion that we exercise? How do our bodies piece of work? How come up we don't become flying into infinite? I kept asking myself these questions, and my desire to learn kept growing. I want to larn most Socrates, Thomas Jefferson'southward policies, the Cold State of war, biological magnification, fifty-fifty calculus.

Understanding our world is complicated and non very many people have the time to exercise then. I don't want to follow that same fate. While a career with lots of money would be squeamish, it is not the nigh of import thing to me. A lifetime of learning and using cognition for good is.

Specifically, I desire to make my future about biology and the world. Thus, the Biological science and Society major is basically a dream come true.

I look outside the window now and I see fuel-inefficient trucks pass, plastic bags caught on tree limbs, and raindrops falling in tardily Dec. I turn on the news and I hear about a new drug, AIDS patients, an statement for Stalk cell inquiry. And and so I realize I want to be a part of all of this. Whether I pursue ecology studies, constabulary, psychology, or medicine, I know I will accept the best training with the Biology and Society major. I know I will exist able to help people, which is my main concern.

I too want to do independent study and research. In my opinion, information technology is of import to have an education that is both focused around peers and mentors. I want to acquire all that I tin can while studying at Cornell. While I am adequately certain near my major, I still do not want to cease learning about the other subjects, and at Cornell, I know I volition be able to accept classes in every discipline.

Most importantly, I'm set to claiming myself in means that I have even so to experience. While I'k not sure exactly what the challenge looks like, I'm gear up to confront it in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Any person, any report. I'm gear up, Cornell.

Here's what Alejandro does well in writing this Cornell supplemental essay:

He connects specific examples to the bigger motion picture. Though the essay focuses on biological science, Alejandro grabs the reader'south attention by telling a story of why he enjoyed taking geometry and how it taught him how to acquire. In other words, he moves from small ideas to large ideas with ease. In the commencement half of the essay, he shows how geometry informed his larger educational philosophy, while in the 2d part of the essay he shows why his intended major volition open many possibilities for his hereafter. He appears to excel at focusing on 1 skill while remaining aware of how his interests relate to the larger picture.

He identifies a specific major that interests him. Because Alejandro identifies his involvement in Biological science and Club, we can tell that he has researched the different programs that Cornell offers, though this is by no means the only manner to arroyo the essay. Even though he identifies his major, he remains open about his career path, keeping an middle on the future. He sees his education and future major every bit a space where he tin can explore and detect. Though Alejandro lists a major that is Cornell-specific, students can also describe why they want to pursue more traditional majors (eastward.g., biology, folklore) by identifying specific classes, projects, or professors that involvement them.

He explains his interest in studying at the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to explaining which major he would pursue in the College of Arts and Sciences, Alejandro also identifies why the academy is a good fit for him: he is interested in taking courses and meeting peers in a variety of disciplines. Cornell has organized itself effectually multidisciplinary study, and Alejandro's interests in history, politics, math, and environmental studies show that he'd accept reward of that intellectual diverseness.

Cornell supplemental essay #2

Allow's accept a wait at the specific essay prompts for the College of Engineering, another popular sectionalization among Cornell applicants. Unlike the other prompts that enquire for a 650-give-and-take essay, the College of Technology tasks applicants with writing shorter responses to two out of three questions.

Here's the prompt:

Applicants must write responses to two of the three essay options. They may choose which ii prompts they write nigh—their choice. Each response is express to a maximum of 200 words.

Engineering is inherently collaborative. What does collaboration mean to you? What strengths do you bring to the collaborative process?
For you, what makes Cornell Technology special? Why do you want to attend Cornell Technology?
Multifariousness in all definitional forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering science. Indeed, devising the all-time engineered solutions to complex issues is oftentimes achieved past drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from broadly dissimilar backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you lot see yourself contributing to the multifariousness and inclusion of the Cornell Engineering science community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?

Let'due south take a expect at how Annette, a Chinese American student from rural Maine, approached this prompt.

Question 1: For you, what makes Cornell Engineering special? Why do you lot desire to attend Cornell Engineering?

I desire to brand the earth a amend place past creating innovative code as a software engineer and computer scientist. That's why I aim to create software that uses AI to aid young voters become more than aware of the touch their votes can have. Cornell College of Technology's unique interdisciplinary arroyo will let me to make connections between applied science, government, and political science so I tin address society's problems with cutting-border applied science.

The College of Engineering'south computer scientific discipline program provides courses in AI, network theories, graphics, and human-calculator relationships. Using AI, I tin can invent programs that take data from state and federal agencies to place how political parties' policies bear on the distribution of wealth amidst government agencies, education, and the war machine. For instance, an AI program might tell us how our tax dollars would be distributed if we voted Democrat or Republican.

I'chiliad every bit interested in taking courses in the social sciences and humanities, which is why I'one thousand fatigued to Cornell'southward Common Curriculum. By studying the history of politics, authorities, and sociology, I'll be able to place my code and projects in a larger context. Cornell's rigorous engineering program volition help me build the skills to develop a project that will become on to touch on many lives, while humanities and social sciences courses volition help me ask the right questions and evidence me how and where to seek those answers.

Question 2: Diverseness in all definitional forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Indeed, devising the best engineered solutions to circuitous problems is often accomplished by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from broadly dissimilar backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How exercise you run into yourself contributing to the diversity and inclusion of the Cornell Technology community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering customs?

Though my main interests are in politics and AI, I am likewise eager to pursue courses in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. Simply every bit I promise to utilize my coding skills to encourage civic date, I also desire to apply technology to preserve our natural world.

Having grown up in rural Maine, I am intrigued by humans' relationships to animals and plants, and how we can create a more than sustainable future. As president of the ecology guild at my loftier school, I launched an initiative that brought solar panels onto our own campus in an attempt make better use of natural resources. Given Cornell's location in the center of nature, I am eager to see firsthand how engineering and design can create technologies that assistance save our natural resource.

Though a connection to the outdoors might seem common for a Mainer, when attention ecology conferences and events, I've met few people who look like me. Although sustainability affects all people regardless of race or ethnic background, nearly three-quarters of people who earn ecology scientific discipline degrees are white. Therefore, I also hope to work towards increasing diversity within the ecology sciences through outreach initiatives and workshops for Cornell students and local loftier schoolers from minority backgrounds.

Here'south what Annette does well in writing these Cornell supplemental essays:

She tells united states of america what she will study at the College of Engineering. Annette explains why she is interested in computer scientific discipline, the types of projects she hopes to pursue with her degree, and the kinds of courses that she wishes to have while at Cornell. Her project is specific and she shows a working knowledge of her field and the subfields in which she will take classes.

She connects her interest in engineering to lodge. Annette explains that she will utilise her skills to brand a divergence in the lives of others by showing them the power of their votes. To do so, she proposes taking courses in humanities and social sciences departments to understand the social implications of her project.

Annette demonstrates that she is well-rounded past showing an interest in other departments. Though Annette focuses on her interest in computer science, she withal suggests that she will spend her free fourth dimension exploring other opportunities that are bachelor to her at Cornell, fifty-fifty if she does non necessarily decide to pursue another major or small. Cornell is looking for students with a sense of purpose, but they also want students who are curious to new ideas and open to alter. Annette balances these competing ideas exceptionally well.

Concluding thoughts

Cornell is amid the most competitive schools in the country. Because all students in the matriculating class take excellent grades and loftier test scores, Cornell is too looking for applicants who accept a sense of what they might exercise one time they arrive at the university. By cultivating this sense of purpose through intellectual marvel and extracurricular passions, your child can become an excellent bidder to Cornell.

In that location'Southward NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE Higher ADMISSIONS PROCESS Lonely, Especially WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY 30-MINUTE CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU Get out NOTHING TO Adventure.