Cornell Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Cornell College Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Cornell College to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Cornell College (Cornell)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Cornell's acceptance rate is 79.90% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 2,522 students applied and 2,015 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into Cornell.

To apply to Cornell, personal statement (or essay) is required to submit and recommendations is not required but considered. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered.

Cornell's acceptance rate places 12nd out of 30 Iowa colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1200 and the ACT score is 26 at Cornell. Cornell's SAT score ranks 7th out of 17 Iowa colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Cornell's yield rate is 14.29%, which is moderately lower by 9.38 percentage points (approximately 39.6% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 70% and 80% (average yield: 23.67%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Cornell at Iowa colleges with acceptance rates higher than 70%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Cornell's acceptance rate is 79.90% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 14.29%. 1,205 men and 1,240 women applied to Cornell and 984 men and 961 women students were accepted.

77 applicants who has another gender applied and 70 were accepted.

Among them, 146 men and 128 women were enrolled in Cornell. You can explore the Cornell's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Cornell
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	2,522	1,205	1,240	77	0
Admitted	2,015	984	961	70	0
Enrolled	288	146	128	14	0
Acceptance Rate	79.90%	81.66%	77.50%	90.91%	-
Yield	14.29%	14.84%	13.32%	20.00%	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Cornell College 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 23 students (8% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 48 students (17% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Cornell.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,200, including 610 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 590 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 655 and the 25th percentile is 575. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 630 and the 25th percentile is 545.

The median ACT composite score is 26, with a 75th percentile score of 30 and a 25th percentile score of 23 at Cornell. The median ACT Math score is 25 and the median ACT English score is 25.

How competitive is Cornell's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Cornell College are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,295, ACT: 29 - private (not-for-profit) baccalaureate college - arts & sciences).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Cornell
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,120	1,200	1,285
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	575	610	655
SAT Math	545	590	630
ACT Composite	23	26	30
ACT Math	20	25	28
ACT English	21	25	31

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Cornell College 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Cornell. The english proficiency test is not considered.

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Cornell College.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Cornell Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Required
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Considered, if submitted
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Considered, if submitted
Recommendations	Considered, if submitted
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Not Considered
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Considered, if submitted
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Not Considered
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Cornell:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: https://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/index.shtml
Online Application: https://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/apply-to-cornell/first-year/index.shtml
Calendar System: Semester
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: 2-Years Certificate, Bachelor

Get Admission Information

What is the acceptance rate at the Cornell?

Cornell is relatively easy to get into, with an acceptance rate of 79.90%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Cornell?

Cornell recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Cornell is 1,200, and the average ACT score is 26. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Cornell require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Cornell requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Cornell admission?

Cornell recommends submitting a recommendation letter, but it is not strictly required.

Is there an application fee?

Cornell does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Cornell requires applicants to submit high school GPA as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Cornell recommends submitting an English proficiency test for international applicants, but it is not strictly required.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Cornell?

The institutional SAT code for Cornell is 6119 and 4-digit ACT code is 1296.