BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·cornellcollege.edu
6-yr Graduation
62%
-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,094
peer median 1,290
Avg net price
$25,079
+$2.6k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,522
2,522 candidates competed
Admitted
2,015
79.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
288
14.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
62%-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
58%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
62%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

15.0pp gap
Pell recipients
52%
Non-Pell
67%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 51 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 46 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
51
Passing
5
9.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

51programs
  • Passing5 · 9.8%
  • No Data46 · 90.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
4
No data
46

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

5
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.0%
$38,299 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+37.2%
$47,762 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+70.1%
$59,195 vs $34,808
Biochemistry Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+85.3%
$64,510 vs $34,808
Computer Science
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+144.0%
$84,938 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
71%
$27,000 debt · $38,299 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,762 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
46%
$27,000 debt · $59,195 earn
Biochemistry Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
42%
$27,000 debt · $64,510 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2033

Action history · 1

  1. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$18,285
$30–48k$17,873
$48–75k$22,174
$75–110k$26,134
$110k+$30,897

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$25,079
+$2,601vs Baccalaureate median $22,479
Federal loans
63.5%
In-state tuition
$50,634
Out-of-state
$50,634

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 399 students received $2.3M in Pell grants, alongside $6.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
399
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.3M
$2,333,993 total
Direct Loans
$6.9M
1,321 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.2M
517 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.7M
695 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.0M
109 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 254 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (2.7%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.7%
+0.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
254
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.9%
2017
2.7%
2018
3.3%
2019
2.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Cornell College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs61
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

195 total completions
01Biological Sciences
3316.9%
02Business
3115.9%
03Psychology
2512.8%
04Parks/Recreation
2211.3%
05Social Sciences
2110.8%
06English Language
168.2%
07Visual/Performing Arts
157.7%
08Engineering
115.6%
09Computer Sciences
115.6%
10Education
105.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,094
12-mo unduplicated
1,142
Undergraduate
1,140
Graduate
2

Gender split

Men
53%609
Women
47%533

Race / ethnicity composition

White
71.5%
Hispanic
10.3%
Black
8.1%
Asian
3.1%
Non-resident
2.9%
Unknown
1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.1%
Two or more
0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
495
346 M · 149 W
Women athletes
30.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$3.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$50K
$36K
Head-coach salaries
$53K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
97 M ·
$494K
Baseball
74 M ·
$334K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
50 M · 22 W
$85K
Track and Field (Indoor)
50 M · 22 W
$85K
Soccer
31 M · 21 W
$184K
Basketball
31 M · 21 W
$418K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.66
5 offenses · 1,073 students

3-year trend

7.982 yrs ago6.641 yr ago4.66Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
20
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
4
Fondling
1

By location

5total
  • On campus5

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
3
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs218
Liquor011

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
76

Cornell College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Cornell College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCornell College
62%1,094$25,079Baccalaureate
Central College
66%86.2%1,084$22,353Baccalaureate
Coe College
66%64.0%1,195$19,155Baccalaureate
Luther College
71%71.5%1,384$25,635Baccalaureate
Wartburg College
64%75.8%1,483$22,604Baccalaureate
Grinnell College
88%14.5%1,788$15,608Baccalaureate
Peer group median66%71.5%1,290$22,479

Frequently asked questions about Cornell College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Cornell College.

What is the graduation rate at Cornell College?

Cornell College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 62% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Cornell College?

Cornell College reports a total enrollment of 1,094 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Cornell College?

The average net price at Cornell College is $25,079 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Cornell College?

Cornell College's yield rate is 14.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Cornell College located?

Cornell College is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa 52314.

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