How this school serves students from different economic backgrounds, including Pell students, first-generation pathways, and long-term mobility outcomes.
Cornell University admits about 8.8% of applicants, making it one of the most selective institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored between 1,500 and 1,570 on the SAT (interquartile range), or between 33 and 35 on the ACT. 18.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 15.4% are first-generation college students — a relatively narrow access profile that reflects the institution's highly selective admissions funnel. Transfer enrollment is limited, at 12.5%. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #132 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. At this admission scale, the number of Pell-eligible and first-generation students Cornell enrolls is constrained relative to institutions that admit larger shares of their applicant pools, and that structural reality shapes its access standing. For students who do gain admission, outcomes are strong across the board. The six-year graduation rate is 95.4%, and Pell-eligible students complete at 91.5% — a meaningful signal that low-income students who enroll are well-supported through to degree completion. Median earnings for low-income graduates reach $114,500 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 99.6 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #99 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As Azimuth's analysis of access versus outcomes at scale explores, the pattern here is clear: low-income students who gain admission to Cornell University complete at high rates and achieve some of the strongest post-graduation earnings in the country — but the institution's narrow admission funnel limits how many students benefit from that pathway.
Cornell University admits about 8.8% of applicants, making it one of the most selective institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored between 1,500 and 1,570 on the SAT (interquartile range), or between 33 and 35 on the ACT. 18.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 15.4% are first-generation college students — a relatively narrow access profile that reflects the institution's highly selective admissions funnel. Transfer enrollment is limited, at 12.5%. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #132 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. At this admission scale, the number of Pell-eligible and first-generation students Cornell enrolls is constrained relative to institutions that admit larger shares of their applicant pools, and that structural reality shapes its access standing. For students who do gain admission, outcomes are strong across the board. The six-year graduation rate is 95.4%, and Pell-eligible students complete at 91.5% — a meaningful signal that low-income students who enroll are well-supported through to degree completion. Median earnings for low-income graduates reach $114,500 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 99.6 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #99 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As Azimuth's analysis of access versus outcomes at scale explores, the pattern here is clear: low-income students who gain admission to Cornell University complete at high rates and achieve some of the strongest post-graduation earnings in the country — but the institution's narrow admission funnel limits how many students benefit from that pathway.
Cornell University admits about 8.8% of applicants, making it one of the most selective institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored between 1,500 and 1,570 on the SAT (interquartile range), or between 33 and 35 on the ACT. 18.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 15.4% are first-generation college students — a relatively narrow access profile that reflects the institution's highly selective admissions funnel. Transfer enrollment is limited, at 12.5%. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #132 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. At this admission scale, the number of Pell-eligible and first-generation students Cornell enrolls is constrained relative to institutions that admit larger shares of their applicant pools, and that structural reality shapes its access standing. For students who do gain admission, outcomes are strong across the board. The six-year graduation rate is 95.4%, and Pell-eligible students complete at 91.5% — a meaningful signal that low-income students who enroll are well-supported through to degree completion. Median earnings for low-income graduates reach $114,500 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 99.6 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Cornell University #99 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As Azimuth's analysis of access versus outcomes at scale explores, the pattern here is clear: low-income students who gain admission to Cornell University complete at high rates and achieve some of the strongest post-graduation earnings in the country — but the institution's narrow admission funnel limits how many students benefit from that pathway.
