$104,043
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Cornell University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Ithaca, New York with 15,995 undergraduates and 10,665 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,690 a year (tuition and fees $69,314). It admits 8.8% of applicants and 95% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $104,043 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $14,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,690
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$69,314
US median $11,837
Admission rate
8.8%
US median 78%
Completion rate
95%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$14,000
About $148 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$104,043
Rank 33 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
- $28,690
- Tuition and fees
- $69,314
- Cost of attendance
- $88,140
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 18%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,776
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $4,070
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $6,796
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $14,311
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $49,992
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 $49,116 in 2015-16 to $69,314 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
- 8.8%
- Average SAT
- 1,535
- SAT reading, middle
- 730
- SAT math, middle
- 775
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 15,995
- Graduate students
- 10,665
- Part-time students
- 1.0%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 95%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 269
- Endowment
- $10.2B
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 33 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 299 in New York (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NY median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,690 | $17,682 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $69,314 | $13,810 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 8.8% | 73% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 95% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 79% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $14,000 | $15,250 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $87,830 | $38,937 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $104,043 | $47,733 | $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. 87% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 88% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
269 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 574 | $129,912 | $179,274 | $226,632 | $103,485 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 507 | $14,750 | $152,656 | $223,309 | $107,009 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 403 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 290 | $34,528 | $153,588 | $235,762 | $145,571 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 290 | $13,086 | $77,803 | $112,289 | $56,726 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 273 | $14,000 | $73,436 | $112,713 | $68,069 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 254 | $12,500 | $92,163 | $145,218 | $66,647 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 254 | $15,500 | $34,500 | $69,083 | $57,214 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 206 | $15,500 | $103,650 | $144,389 | $92,374 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 193 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $101,000 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 176 | $13,210 | $38,841 | $85,883 | $65,681 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 175 | $73,233 | $123,586 | $196,882 | $124,201 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 175 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 164 | Withheld | $123,494 | $156,103 | $133,654 |
| Operations ResearchMaster's | Master's | 163 | Withheld | $125,810 | $203,340 | $161,561 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 157 | $15,000 | $84,967 | $137,935 | $82,686 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 132 | $15,500 | $85,440 | $112,212 | $92,135 |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 130 | $51,608 | $61,190 | $100,325 | $81,408 |
| Systems EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 124 | Withheld | $117,455 | $142,846 | $144,565 |
| Veterinary MedicineProfessional | Professional | 120 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 116 | $14,400 | $60,292 | $95,391 | $63,293 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsMaster's | Master's | 109 | Withheld | $83,323 | Withheld | $125,651 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 103 | $13,500 | $87,251 | $134,455 | $69,562 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $14,725 | $100,516 | $147,241 | $100,647 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 95 | $44,500 | $112,291 | $155,909 | $83,558 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: New York on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in New York
- Homes: Homes for sale in New York
Questions and answers
How much does Cornell University cost?
$28,690 a year is the average net price at Cornell University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $69,314, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $88,140. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,776 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Cornell University?
8.8% of applicants are admitted to Cornell University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,535 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in New York is 73%.
How much do Cornell University graduates earn?
$104,043 a year is the median pay of former Cornell University students who work, 10 years after they started ($87,830 after 6 years). That ranks 33 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 299 in New York. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Law (Doctoral) at $213,356.
How much student debt do Cornell University graduates have?
$14,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Cornell University graduates, about $148 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 18% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Cornell University?
95% of first-time, full-time students at Cornell University finish within 6 years. 98% 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 University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (574 master's graduates), Computer Science (507 bachelor's graduates), Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (403 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 269 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.