Address: Cornell University, 14850 Ithaca, New York, United States
Engineering, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hotel Administration
Established in 1865, Cornell is a private Ivy League research university in Ithaca, New York, with a unique land-grant mission for New York State. It offers a broad range of programs across diverse colleges, including renowned programs in engineering, agriculture, hotel administration, and veterinary medicine.
Cornell University was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell, a telegraph entrepreneur, and Andrew Dickson White, who became its first president. Cornell’s founding idea was to teach any person any study, a principle that opened the university to women and to students of every background early on. It is the land-grant university of New York State, and it sits on a hill above Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, in the Finger Lakes region, with gorges and waterfalls crossing the campus. It has about 26,000 students and 10,000 staff.
The university is organised in colleges, which include agriculture and life sciences, architecture, art and planning, arts and sciences, engineering, hotel administration, human ecology, industrial and labor relations, and the Johnson business school. It also has a law school and a veterinary college. The School of Hotel Administration, founded in 1922, was the first in the world. A medical college and a tech campus operate in New York City, and the Cornell Tech campus is located on Roosevelt Island.
Cornell is a rare combination: an Ivy League university with a public mission. Several of its colleges are partly funded by the state, and tuition differs from one college to another. Alumni and faculty include the writers E. B. White and Vladimir Nabokov, who taught there, and the astronomer Carl Sagan, who was a professor. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the library with its large collections are widely recognised.
Applicants apply to a specific college, which affects the selection process. Financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition, which differs between statutory and private colleges. Teaching is in English.
Winters in Ithaca are long and snowy, and the campus is walkable but hilly. Housing is available on campus, and the town of Ithaca offers shops and restaurants close by.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Mix Public/Private
Partnerships:
Ivy League institution with a land-grant component (NY state contract colleges for agriculture, human ecology, industrial/labor relations, veterinary medicine). Strong research partnerships with industry, government, and international organizations. Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC and Qatar. Member of AAU.
Research:
A leading research university with strengths in engineering, computer science, agriculture, veterinary medicine, hospitality, life sciences, and physics. High research activity. Notable for interdisciplinary research.
Famous Alumnis:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Nye, Tsai Ing-wen, Toni Morrison (MA), Kurt Vonnegut, E.B. White, Mae Jemison
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
10100
Current students***:
26000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
265000
Pros
Ivy League education with diverse program offerings (including unique statutory colleges), beautiful natural setting in the Finger Lakes region, strong research focus across many fields.
Cons
Located in a relatively remote city (Ithaca), can have harsh winters, highly competitive admissions, somewhat decentralized due to college structure.
Best For
Students seeking a prestigious Ivy League education with a broad range of disciplines, including strong engineering, agriculture, and unique programs like hotel administration, in a scenic university town with a strong research ethos.
For students who like the project management, life sciences and data analytics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, University of Pennsylvania fits well: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers bioengineering as well.
Columbia University sits close to this institution on project management, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly larger, at about 34,200 students against roughly 26,000 here, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Wisconsin, Madison overlaps with this institution on agriculture, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is larger, enrolling about 50,300 students against roughly 26,000 here, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
University of Georgia sits close to this university on agriculture, life sciences and data analytics; it is larger, enrolling about 40,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
In terms of fields, Washington State University is the nearest neighbour, with agriculture, life sciences and data analytics again at the core; it is slightly larger, at about 30,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The closest overseas parallel on agriculture, life sciences and data analytics is Newcastle University, located in the United Kingdom; it is slightly larger, at about 29,500 students against roughly 26,000 here, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Beyond national borders, Hong Kong Polytechnic University stands out as a comparable school for life sciences, data analytics and software engineering; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers logistics and industrial design as well.
Abroad, University of Nottingham (the United Kingdom) covers agriculture, life sciences and AI and machine learning in a comparable way, and it covers chemistry and physics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 46,500 students against roughly 26,000 here.
The closest overseas parallel on agriculture, life sciences and data analytics is La Trobe University, located in Australia; it is slightly larger, at about 36,128 students against roughly 26,000 here, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
Aligarh Muslim University, based in India, is built around agriculture, life sciences and AI and machine learning much like this institution, and it is slightly larger, at about 30,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and also offers diploma programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Cornell University?
In Ithaca, New York, on a hill above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region.
When was it founded?
In 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White.
How large is it?
About 26,000 students and 10,000 staff.
What is its founding idea?
To teach any person any study.
What does land-grant mean?
Cornell has a public mission for New York State, and several colleges are partly state funded.
Which colleges does it have?
Among others, agriculture and life sciences, architecture, engineering, hotel administration, human ecology and industrial and labor relations.
What is special about its hotel school?
The School of Hotel Administration, founded in 1922, was the first in the world.
Who taught there?
The writer Vladimir Nabokov and the astronomer Carl Sagan.
Does it have a campus in New York City?
Yes. Cornell Tech is located on Roosevelt Island.
How do you apply?
To a specific college within the university, and financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Development, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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