by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Cornell University, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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Published attendance costs at Cornell University comes to about $83,196.00 a year.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $69,314.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $13,882.00 |
| Total cost | $83,196.00 |
| That is 154% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $83,196.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$59,450.00 |
| Net price | $23,746.00 |
| That is 28% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $83,196.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$86,364.00 |
| Net price | $-3,168.00 |
| That is 110% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see the tuition & fees page and room and board. |
The reported cost series has been increasing at a recent average of 4.3% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Freshman year | $-3,306.00 | $24,778.00 | $86,810.00 |
| Senior year | $-3,755.00 | $28,149.00 | $98,622.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-14,109.00 | $105,758.00 | $370,530.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-5,375.00 | $40,290.00 | $141,159.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-162.00 | $1,217.00 | $4,264.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-19,484.00 | $146,048.00 | $511,689.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Freshman year | $-3,306.00 | $24,778.00 | $86,810.00 |
| Senior year | $-3,449.00 | $25,854.00 | $90,581.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-6,755.00 | $50,632.00 | $177,392.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-2,573.00 | $19,289.00 | $67,580.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-78.00 | $583.00 | $2,041.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-9,328.00 | $69,920.00 | $244,971.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $28,690.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $32,337.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $4,079.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $5,589.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $8,129.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $18,531.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $51,735.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Cornell University Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Cornell University works out to $13,000.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,501.00 |
| 25th | $5,962.00 |
| Median (50th) | $13,000.00 |
| 75th | $19,677.00 |
| 90th | $26,633.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,800.00 |
| Middle income | $11,100.00 |
| High income | $14,170.00 |
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,155.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,500.00 |
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Cornell University comes to $-4,250.00.
The federal default-rate tier for Cornell University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.2% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Cornell University reach $771,207,337.00 over 32,194 student borrowers.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 245 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $29,711.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh Cornell University, consider the following:
Explore the related pages below for a deeper look at the cost picture:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.