Ithaca, NY · private · 15,995 undergraduates
Cornell University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Cornell admitted 8.38% of applicants for fall 2025, the highest rate in the Ivy League, and New York students in its contract colleges pay about a third less tuition.
Net price per year at Cornell
$14,311
Reach · admit rate 8.38%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 8.38% (1 in 12) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,490 to 1,550 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $99,734 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $14,311 |
| Share of the sticker price | 14% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Cornell net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Cornell University Common Data Set 2025-2026 (v2 Excel; PDF version also published), C1 (36,834 men + 35,687 women + 2 unknown applied; 2,794 + 3,282 + 1 admitted; 1,806 + 2,020 + 1 enrolled) · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 8.38%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,490 to 1,550
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $99,734
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $6,796
Cornell's acceptance rate for the class that entered in fall 2025 (Class of 2029) is 8.38%: 6,077 admitted from 72,523 applicants, with 3,827 enrolling, according to Cornell's Common Data Set 2025-2026. That class applied before scores were required; students applying now must send the SAT or ACT. Enrolled students who reported the SAT scored 1,490 to 1,550 in the middle half. The 2026-27 cost of attendance in the endowed colleges is $99,734 before travel, but New York residents in the state contract colleges pay $49,816 of tuition and $75,604 in total. In 2023-24, aided families paid $4,070 on average between $30,001 and $48,000 and $14,311 between $75,001 and $110,000. Under $75,000, aid offers carry no loans and no parent contribution.
Separate front doors and a state contract
An application to Cornell goes to one undergraduate college or school, each with its own requirements and its own selectivity. Several of them are New York State contract colleges, created by state law, run by Cornell and funded in part under contract with the state: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Industrial and Labor Relations, the Dyson School and the Brooks School's Bachelor of Science programs. A New York resident in one of them paid $49,816 of tuition for 2026-27 instead of $73,946, a difference of $24,130 a year. Students from other states pay the endowed rate wherever they enroll.
That structure shows in the residency table. For fall 2025, 1,720 of 12,978 New York applicants were admitted, 13.3%, against 3,693 of 40,979 from other states, 9.0%, and 664 of 18,566 international applicants, 3.6%.
Cornell: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$6,796
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 8% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
Early Decision and a very long waiting list
The binding round accounted for 1,889 of the 6,077 offers: 18.8% of Early Decision applicants were admitted, against 6.7% of everyone else. Early Decision closes November 1 and Regular Decision January 2. The waiting list is far longer than at its Ivy peers, with 9,720 students offered a place and 6,598 accepting it for fall 2025; 254 were admitted from it.
Scores come back for fall 2027
Only 43% of the fall 2025 class reported an SAT and 13% an ACT, because that class could apply without one. Every first-year applicant now submits the SAT or ACT; Cornell superscores both and does not require the ACT Science section.
Cornell: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
50%
| Middle 50% | 1,490 to 1,550 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,639 SAT submitters, 486 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Small loans above $75,000
Cornell meets full demonstrated need, but unlike most of its peers it still includes a modest loan above $75,000 of income: at most $2,000 a year up to $125,000, $4,000 up to $175,000 and $6,000 above that, next to a $5,000 work-study award. Under $75,000 with typical assets, the expected family contribution is $0 and the loan is $0. Compare the result with Dartmouth, Penn or Columbia in the comparison tool.
From Cornell University’s own documents
- New York residents pay much less in Cornell's NY State contract colleges and schools (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Dyson School, Human Ecology, ILR, and Brooks School BS programs): 2026-27 tuition is $49,816 instead of $73,946. source
- New York applicants were admitted at a much higher rate for fall 2025: 1,720 of 12,978 (13.3%), against 3,693 of 40,979 other US applicants (9.0%) and 664 of 18,566 international applicants (3.6%). source
- Early Decision is a big lever: 1,889 of 10,057 Early Decision applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (18.8%), against 4,188 of the other 62,466 applicants (6.7%); ED filled 31% of the admitted class. source
- Students apply to one specific undergraduate college or school at Cornell, each with its own requirements and selectivity. source
- Unlike most Ivy League peers, Cornell still packages student loans above $75,000 of family income, capped at $2,000 to $6,000 a year depending on income. source
- Cornell's waiting list is large: 9,720 applicants were offered a place for fall 2025, 6,598 accepted and 254 were admitted. source
Net price at Cornell University by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $1,776 | 2% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $4,070 | 5% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $6,796 | 8% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $14,311 | 16% |
| $110,001 and up | $49,992 | 57% |
| All aided students | $28,690 | 33% |
Cost of attendance at Cornell University, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $73,946 | |
| Fees | $1,024 | |
| Housing and food | $21,348 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,234 | |
| Personal | $2,182 | |
| Total | $99,734 |
Cornell University admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 72,523 | 6,077 | 3,827 | 8.38% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8.76% |
SAT and ACT scores at Cornell University
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,639 SAT submitters, 486 ACT submitters)) | 1,490 | 1,530 | 1,550 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,639 SAT submitters, 486 ACT submitters))) | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 730 + 770 | n/a | 770 + 800 |
Outcomes at Cornell University
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 95% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 98% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $104,043 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $14,000 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 15,995 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 18% | 2023-24 |