Cornell University

Cornell University Admissions and School Information

Cornell University, a private university located in Ithaca, New York, is an Ivy League institution. It is organized into seven undergraduate colleges as well as seven graduate divisions at its main campus.

General Information about Cornell University

Cornell offers a liberal arts curriculum in addition to studies in agriculture, engineering, hotel administration, and city and regional planning. Currently, there are more than 13,000 undergraduate and 6,000 graduate students.

The university was founded in 1865 as a co-ed, public institution. On October 7, 1868, Cornell was inaugurated and 412 men were enrolled the next day. A couple of years later, Cornell admitted its first female students, making it the first coeducational school in what became the Ivy League.

Admissions and Enrollment Information

Admission to Cornell is highly competitive and the school receives a high volume of admissions documents during each semester. Students can track the progress of their applications online and there are admissions counselors available by phone most weeks of the year. Students who are accepted to Cornell have an average combined SAT score of 1420 and the admission rate is typically around 19%.

The Schools of Cornell University

The College of Arts and Sciences

The Cornell College of Arts and Sciences has been part of the university since its founding and grants bachelors and masters degrees, as well as doctorates through its affiliation with the Cornell University Graduate School. It is the largest college at Cornell by undergraduate enrollment and offers bachelor of arts degrees in subject areas as diverse as history of art, biology, chemistry, mathematics, sociology, psychology, English literature, world history, chemistry, anthropology and archaeology.

The College of Engineering

The College of Engineering was founded in 1870 and grants bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields. The school offers over 450 engineering classes, and has an annual research budget exceeding $112 million. The school's engineering physics program was ranked as being #1 by U.S. News and World Report and Cornell's computer science program ranks among the top five internationally.

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

Cornell's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning was established in 1871, and is divided into three departments: Architecture, Art and City and Regional Planning. Cornell's architecture department is one of the world's prestigious schools of architecture and is the only Ivy League department to offer the Bachelor of Architecture degree. There are currently 515 undergraduate and 256 postgraduates attending the school, which is known to be Cornell's most selective college.

The School of Hotel Administration

The School of Hotel Administration was established in 1922 and is populated by about 800 undergraduates and 90 graduate students. It is Cornell's second smallest undergraduate college. The Hotel School's course catalog includes several offerings popular among students in other Cornell colleges.

The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell has about 3,100 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students enrolled and is the third-largest college of its kind in the United States and the second-largest undergraduate college at the university. It is also the only school of agriculture in the Ivy League and was founded in 1874.

The New York State College of Human Ecology

Cornell's New York State College of Human Ecology is a combination of studies on consumer science, nutrition, health public policy, economics, textiles and human development. The school was established in 1900 has 1,200 undergraduate students enrolled and 190 postgraduates.

The New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Cornell's New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations was established in 1945 and was the world's first school for college-level study in industrial relations. All undergraduate students are required to complete a 120 credit hour curriculum covering topics such as organizational behavior, history of American labor, micro and macro economics, statistical reasoning, labor and employment law and human resource management.

Contact Information

  • Address: Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
  • Phone Number: (607) 255-2000