CollegeDroid logo
Login
CollegeDroid logo

Cornell vs Harvard

Cornell University and Harvard University, two of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the United States, offer prospective students a world-class education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, these universities have distinct characteristics that set them apart. Cornell, located in Ithaca, New York, boasts a larger student body and a more diverse range of undergraduate majors, including renowned programs in engineering, agriculture, and hospitality. Harvard, situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate, and is particularly known for its strength in the humanities, social sciences, and business. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the details of these two exceptional universities and discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Cornell University logo

Cornell University

 		Harvard University logo

Harvard University

Overview

Location Ithaca, New York Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting City: Small City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 97.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.7% 4.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80
Graduate: $105
Undergraduate: $75
Graduate: $105
SAT range 1450 - 1560 1480 - 1580
ACT range 33 - 35 33 - 36
Students submitting SAT score 41.0% 54.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 31.0%
Total number of applicants 67,380 57,786
Total number of admissions given out 5,852 2,318
Admitted students who chose to enroll 3,718 1,951
Yield rate 63.5% 84.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,287 $78,028
Average net price $24,262 $13,910
Tuition $60,286 $51,143
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,962
Meal plan: $6,434
Room/dormitory: $11,705
Meal plan: $7,236
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

 50.0%
Average amount $52,674 		56.0%
Average amount $59,840
Students receiving federal student loan 26.0%
Average amount $3,924 		3.0%
Average amount $5,180
Students taking out private loans 16.0%
Average amount $8,357 		2.0%
Average amount $8,080

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 15,503
Men 46.1% Women 53.9% 		9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students 10,079
Men 51.0% Women 49.0% 		21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 64.3% N/A
International students 24.4% 23.9%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 7,422 12,874
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Agriculture
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 7:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 94.1% 96.7%
Dropout rate 5.2% 2.0%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $185,154
  • Year 2: $172,867
  • Year 3: $207,272
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $150,786
  • Year 2: $145,332
  • Year 3: $167,695
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $127,764
  • Year 2: $122,485
  • Year 3: $158,076
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $147,241
  • Year 2: $127,397
  • Year 3: $155,653
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,311
  • Year 2: $111,926
  • Year 3: $126,082
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,067
  • Year 2: $109,763
  • Year 3: $124,590
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,459
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $109,597
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,672
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $109,553
Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,847
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $107,658
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $101,072
  • Year 3: $106,693
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Cornell University Cornell vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Cornell University Cornell vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Cornell University Cornell vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Cornell University Cornell vs Yale University Yale University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
Cornell University Cornell vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Cornell University Cornell vs Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Cornell University Cornell vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Cornell University Cornell vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Cornell University Cornell vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Cornell University Cornell vs Boston College Boston College
Cornell University Cornell vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Cornell University Cornell vs Harvard University Harvard University
Cornell University Cornell vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cornell University Cornell vs Tufts University Tufts University
Cornell University Cornell vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Cornell University Cornell vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
Cornell University Cornell vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Cornell University Cornell vs Barnard College Barnard College
Cornell University Cornell vs Colgate University Colgate University
Cornell University Cornell vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Cornell University Cornell vs Culinary Institute of America Culinary Institute of America
Cornell University Cornell vs The New School The New School
Cornell University Cornell vs New York University New York University
Cornell University Cornell vs SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
Cornell University Cornell vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cornell University Cornell vs Lehigh University Lehigh University
Cornell University Cornell vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Cornell University Cornell vs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Cornell University Cornell vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University
Harvard University Harvard vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Harvard University Harvard vs Yale University Yale University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Harvard University Harvard vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Harvard University Harvard vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Harvard University Harvard vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Harvard University Harvard vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Harvard University Harvard vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Harvard University Harvard vs Barnard College Barnard College
Harvard University Harvard vs Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Harvard University Harvard vs New York University New York University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Find Colleges By State

Colleges In California Colleges In Colorado Colleges In Florida Colleges In Georgia Colleges In Illinois Colleges In Massachusetts
Colleges In Missouri Colleges In Michigan Colleges In New Jersey Colleges In New York Colleges In North Carolina Colleges In Ohio
Colleges In Pennsylvania Colleges In South Carolina Colleges In Texas Colleges In Virginia View all states

Resources

High School GPA Calculator College GPA Calculator

About

About CollegeDroid Privacy Policy Contact Us
CollegeDroid logo