Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa · Website
$53,460
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$53,460
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Cornell College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Mount Vernon, Iowa with 1,086 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $23,634 a year (tuition and fees $52,660). It admits 80% of applicants and 62% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $53,460 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$23,634
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$52,660
US median $11,837
Admission rate
80%
US median 78%
Completion rate
62%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$53,460
Rank 1,212 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $23,634
- Tuition and fees
- $52,660
- Cost of attendance
- $66,249
- Students with a need-based grant
- 32%
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $16,409
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,513
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,177
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,944
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,298
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $38,700 in 2015-16 to $52,660 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 80%
- Average SAT
- 1,234
- SAT reading, middle
- 660
- SAT math, middle
- 620
- ACT, middle
- 27
- Undergraduates
- 1,086
- Part-time students
- 0.7%
- Women
- 46%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 62%
- Retention rate
- 80%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 49
- Endowment
- $100.9M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,212 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $23,634 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $52,660 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 80% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 62% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 80% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,299 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $53,460 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 71% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 68% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
49 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | Withheld | $42,127 | Withheld | $86,176 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $27,000 | $35,439 | $59,195 | $54,562 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $27,000 | $39,164 | $64,510 | $65,466 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | $84,938 | $107,009 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | $38,299 | $41,367 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | $27,000 | $42,756 | $47,762 | $47,382 |
| Engineering, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $89,359 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $26,638 | $18,241 | Withheld | $48,471 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,343 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,072 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,523 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's | Master's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Applied StatisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,693 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,190 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $66,596 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| LiteratureBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Classical and Ancient StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Mount Vernon and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Cornell College cost?
$23,634 a year is the average net price at Cornell College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $52,660, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $66,249. Families earning under $30,000 pay $16,409 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Cornell College?
80% of applicants are admitted to Cornell College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,234 and the middle ACT score is 27. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Cornell College graduates earn?
$53,460 a year is the median pay of former Cornell College students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,299 after 6 years). That ranks 1,212 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's) at $42,756.
How much student debt do Cornell College graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Cornell College graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 65% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Cornell College?
62% of first-time, full-time students at Cornell College finish within 6 years. 80% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Cornell College?
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (24 bachelor's graduates), Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (18 bachelor's graduates), Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (16 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 49 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.