Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA
600 First St. SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314-1098
319-895-4000

Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The college is a member of the Council of Independent Colleges and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Cornell enrolls about 1,000 students and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. The college offers more than 40 majors and allows students to design their own majors. Cornell also offers a number of pre-professional programs, including pre-law, pre-med, and pre-veterinary medicine. The college's most popular majors include business, communication, English, and psychology. Cornell College was founded in 1853 as the Mount Vernon Literary and Scientific Association. The college was renamed Cornell College in 1857 in honor of iron tycoon William Wesley Cornell, who donated $10,000 to the college. Cornell was the first college in Iowa to admit women and men on an equal basis. The college is located on a 100-acre campus in Mount Vernon. The campus includes 19 buildings, including two residence halls, a library, and a performing arts center. Cornell College is known for its rigorous academic program, which includes a core curriculum that all students must complete. The college also has a number of unique traditions, including the Cornell Day of Service, when all students participate in service projects in the local community; the President's Ball, a formal dance held each spring; and the Ring-toss, a campus-wide game of chance played each fall.



Quick Facts

Enrollment: 1002

Acceptance Rate: 82.41%

Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

Main Website: https://www.cornellcollege.edu/

Financial Aid: https://www.cornellcollege.edu/financial_assistance/

Annual Costs

Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $60517

Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $60517

Return on Investment Rating

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The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at Cornell College is $216231.88. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.

We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at Cornell College. For graduates of Cornell College, we saw an average early-career income of $54400.00 and mid-career income of $102100.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.