How to Get Into Cornell University
Many of our students pine for admission to top schools, such as those in the Ivy League. Gaining admission is notoriously difficult, and every year, admission rates decline further. With that said, admission is not impossible. Read on to learn how you can separate yourself from the competition, and gain acceptance to schools like Cornell.
Cornell Overview
Cornell, established in 1865, is world-class university located in Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, with the aim of contributions in all fields of knowledge. Ezra Cornell, echoing this sentiment, once said, "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”
“Whether you're a first-year or transfer applicant, there’s no magic formula that guarantees you will (or won’t) get into Cornell. Yes, what you may have heard is true: Admission to Cornell is highly selective, with approximately 10% of applicants admitted each year.” — Cornell Admissions
How Difficult is it to Gain Admission to Cornell University?
It is very difficult to gain admission to Cornell University. The average weighted GPA of accepted students is 4.07, which requires nearly straight As. Meanwhile, the average SAT score of accepted students sits at 1470.
While the school is extremely selective, chances of admission increase drastically for students that have completed a passion project, research, and that have compelling essays.
We recommend scheduling an initial consultation to discuss crafting a successful application.
What was Cornell’s Acceptance Rate in 2022?
Cornell University’s acceptance rate was extremely low, as they admitted 6.9% percent of applicants to the Class of 2026. There were over 71,000 applications submitted, and the school accepted just 4,908.
This means that admission to school is very competitive. For those with certain racial demographics, or international students, the numbers look even lower.
What is Cornell Looking For?
Cornell is looking for bright students who will take advantage of the resources that the school has to offer. Students, as they craft their application, should emphasize the leadership and impact they were able to have in their community, in addition to showing their rigorous pursuit of academics. More specifically, and from the admissions site, the university is looking for the following:
“Your Intellectual Potential
Have you challenged yourself with the highest-level courses? How have you demonstrated your passion for learning?
Your Character
Honesty. Open-mindedness. Initiative. Empathy. Your values are important to Cornell. Do your application essays and recommendations reflect your strongest personal attributes?
Your Involvement
Extracurricular activities. Community involvement. Workplace experience. Leadership. What special talents or interests have you developed?
Your Reasons for Choosing Us
Whether you’ve decided on a major or not, how do you plan on taking advantage of the exceptional learning environment at Cornell? Why is it the right place for you?”
— Cornell Admissions, 2022
How do I Submit an Application?
Cornell University uses the Common Application. To apply to Cornell, complete the Common Application, and make sure the following materials are submitted.
The School Report
Counselor Recommendation
Two Teacher Evaluations
The Midyear Report
Official Transcript
What are Cornell’s GPA Requirements?
Cornell admission officers will look most closely to the unweighted GPA, not the weighted GPA. This is because of the variability of different schools’ curriculums. Students with an unweighted GPA of 4.0, and a class rank in the top 5%, have the best chance of getting accepted. A class rank of top 10% is nearly mandatory barring exceptional hooks.
Does Cornell Require AP or IB?
Students are strongly encouraged to take a rigorous, renowned academic curriculum such as AP, IB, or A Levels. If your school does not offer such courses, you are advised to self-study and take the exams independently.
What are Cornell’s Standardized Testing Requirements?
Ivy Brothers recommends sending test scores, unless they are very low, as our data suggests that students who submit their test scores, even if slightly low, fare better in the admission process than those who don’t. This is especially true for students that are unhooked. For reference, unhooked means that the student doesn’t have a compelling admission advantage, such as being a recruited athlete or a child of a donor.
Students may submit either the SAT or ACT, and there is no advantage to one over the other.
What are Cornell’s SAT Requirements?
The minimum SAT score needed for Cornell is 1400, the 25th percentile. However, at Ivy Brothers, we suggest that students score in the 75th percentile for their desired school; for Cornell, this would mean an SAT score of 1560.
*SAT requirements are liable to change in future admission cycles
What are Cornell’s ACT Requirements?
The minimum ACT score needed for Cornell is 32, the 25th percentile. However, at Ivy Brothers, we suggest that students score in the 75th percentile for their desired school; for Cornell, this would mean an ACT score of 35.
*SAT requirements are liable to change in future admission cycles
What are Cornell’s English Language Proficiency Requirements?
Cornell requires a strong, fluent knowledge of English. Proficiency exams are not required, but international students are welcome to submit them, such as TOEFL or IELTS.
What are Cornell’s Common App Essay Prompts for 2022-23?
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
These prompts are intended for admission officers to better understand your background, goals, character, integrity, and other positive characteristics. The essay should be vulnerable, and should be unique. One of the biggest pitfalls we see in students’ essays is the topic being cliché and dull. To see some examples of successful essays, please schedule a virtual consultation with us.
What are Cornell’s Supplemental Essay Prompts for 2022-23?
Cornell’s supplement section is broken down based upon the school to which you apply. Read below for the essay prompts based on school.
Brooks School of Public Policy
Why are you drawn to studying public policy? Drawing on your experiences, tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School will help you achieve your life goals.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Required: Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have influenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals?
Optional (1): At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are not simply driven to master their discipline, but who are also passionate about doing so to serve the public good. Please elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you. We encourage you to think about community broadly - this could include family, school, or local and global communities. (300-word limit)
Optional (2): The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is dedicated to the exploration of the agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with interests that span a wide variety of disciplines. Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background in agriculture or are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, regardless of your intended major. (300-word limit)
Select all that apply:
My family owns or operates a farm
I have experience working in agriculture
I have interest in pursuing a career in agriculture
Please feel free to share additional details below (optional):
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
What is your "thing"? What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time? Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours?
College of Arts and Sciences
Students in Arts and Sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell’s “any person…any study” founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our College.
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).
College of Engineering
Instructions: All applicants are required to write two supplemental essays. Each has a limit of 250 words. Essay 1 is required of all applicants. For Essay 2, you must choose between Question A and Question B.
Essay 1
Required response (250 word limit)
How do your interests directly connect with Cornell Engineering? If you have an intended major, what draws you to that department at Cornell Engineering? If you are unsure what specific engineering field you would like to study, describe how your general interest in engineering most directly connects with Cornell Engineering. It may be helpful to concentrate on one or two things that you are most excited about.
Essay 2
Choose either Question A or Question B. (250 word limit)
Question A: Describe an engineering problem that impacts your local community. This could be your school, neighborhood, town, region, or a group you identify with. Describe one to three things you might do as an engineer to solve the problem.
Question B: Diversity in all forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Engineering the best solutions to complex problems is often achieved by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity and/or the inclusion of the Cornell Engineering community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?
College of Human Ecology
How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology been influenced by your related experiences? How will your choice of major impact your goals and plans for the future?
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School.
Cornell is looking for personal essays that allow the admission office to better understand you. Additionally, the essays should be creative, with an eye toward outside-the-box thinking. To see some examples of successful supplemental essays, please schedule a virtual consultation with us.
What are Cornell’s Extracurricular Activity Requirements?
Cornell seeks students who will be engaged in their community or field of interest, and will make an impact on campus and beyond. This is an area where many students go wrong. You should develop a spiked passion in a particular field of interest. Here are some examples of extra-curricular activities of past, successful students in the admission process:
Started a Small Business
Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Predictions of Several Aspects of Trees with respect to Air Quality via Ardunio Sensors
Created a Novel Technique to Write and Run Neural Networks in C on x86_64 CPU Architecture
Wrote a Research Paper on Climate Policy in China versus Taiwan and Submitted to the Journal of East Asian Studies
ISEF Finalist
USACO Gold
Quantified Human Lung Toxicity During Space Travel by Regolith in Project Funded by NASA
Create a Literary Journal that Focuses on Mental Health
These are examples of top-tier extracurricular activities. If your activities do not resemble something similar, then we suggest scheduling a consultation to learn how we can create a game plan for your activity section. It is important to schedule a consultation to tackle this part of the process sooner rather than later. You don’t want to look as if you are doing projects last minute just for the college application.
What are Cornell’s Application Deadlines?
Early Decision: November 1st
Regular Decision: January 2nd
Does my Race or Ethnicity Affect my Acceptance Rate at Cornell?
Yes, Cornell considers race and ethnicity. Students who identify as East Asian, Southeast Asian, or South Asian have significantly more difficult chances at admission. Many of our students fall into this category, and we make it our mission to help them stand out in a highly competitive pool.
This is backed by data from the National Centre for Education Statistics. Below is a graph that shows how, even as the Asian American population increases, the % of enrolled students has remained constant at top schools.
Does my Choice of Major Affect my Acceptance Rate at Cornell?
Yes, Cornell will compare you to other students who are seeking similar majors. In general, students will face the highest level of competition, and lowest acceptance rates, in majors such as Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.
What is the Average Salary of a Graduate of Cornell University?
Cornell graduates, on average, make $98,400 ten years after finishing undergrad. Graduates who enter fields like consulting, technology, or finance regularly make a starting salary of $120,000 to $200,000.
For all students, the price of professional help in the admission process is well worth it in terms of return on investment. The last thing you want is for your student’s hard work in high school to go to waste.
Final Thoughts
Gaining admission to top schools is not an easy feat. Cornell is looking for students who will contribute positively to their campus, upholding the school’s values, and who are ambitious and yearn to contribute to their field of interest.
Ivy Brothers helps students to stand out in the competitive admission process through one-on-one mentorship. Schedule an initial consultation to learn how we help students achieve their educational and career goals.
