More selective than 54% of Iowa colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $66,249. College Scorecard.
Higher than 41% of Iowa colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 37% of Iowa colleges we cover and 51% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Cornell College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,087 applicants, Cornell College admitted 2,490 and 298 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1120–1285 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Cornell College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Cornell College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Cornell College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Iowa. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $16,409 | $66,785 | 4.0 years |
| $30–48k | $18,513 | $75,348 | 4.5 years |
| $48–75k | $20,177 | $82,120 | 4.9 years |
| $75–110k | $22,944 | $93,382 | 5.6 years |
| $110k+ | $29,298 | $119,243 | 7.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (67% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($53,460) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,799 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Cornell College majors, earnings & careers
Cornell College offers 48 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Science & Math · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Business & Finance · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Engineering · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Health & Medicine · 1
Highest-earning majors at Cornell College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $84,938 | — |
| Biochemistry | $64,510 | $27,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $59,195 | $27,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $47,762 | $27,000 |
| Studio Art | $38,299 | — |
Quick list of all 48 majors
- Anthropology—
- Applied Statistics—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry$64,510
- Biology—
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Classics—
- Computer Science$84,938
- Data Science—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$47,762
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Science—
- English—
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History—
- Human Resources—
- International Relations—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$59,195
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Literature—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology—
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art$38,299
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Cedar Rapids
Overall prices in the Cedar Rapids, IA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,054. Housing costs 29% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 39 inches of rain a year, 34 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Linn County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Linn County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Cornell College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Iowa by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell College | 80% | $23,634 | 62% | $53,460 | This school |
| Northwestern College | 80% | $25,907 | 66% | $49,802 | |
| Buena Vista University | 78% | $18,846 | 62% | $49,156 | |
| Mount Mercy University | 83% | $20,168 | 58% | $60,787 | |
| Wartburg College | 76% | $32,908 | 64% | $56,201 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Cornell College would cost you $2,273 less per year than Northwestern College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Cornell College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$15,950).
- Cornell College gives aided families $18,739 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Iowa resident | Cornell College | Northwestern College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $52,660 | $36,710 | +$15,950 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,100 | +$100 |
| Housing & meals | $11,358 | $10,700 | +$658 |
| Personal & travel | $3,160 | $3,200 | −$40 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,129 | −$1,927 | −$202 |
| Sticker price | $66,249 | $49,783 | +$16,466 |
| Average grants | −$42,615 | −$23,876 | −$18,739 |
| You pay | $23,634 | $25,907 | −$2,273 |
“+” means Cornell College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Cornell College
What is the Cornell College acceptance rate?
Cornell College accepts 80% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,490 of 3,087 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1120–1285 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
How much does Cornell College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $66,249 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,634 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $16,409 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,298.
How much do Cornell College graduates earn?
Former Cornell College students earn a median $53,460 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Cornell College graduation rate?
62% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 80% return for their second year.
How long does a Cornell College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Cornell College costs about $82,120 after grants ($20,177 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $53,460 ten years after starting, $16,799 more than high school graduates in Iowa ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 4.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Cornell College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cornell-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).