Cornell University
NY · Private · Mid-Atlantic · National university · Top 25 tier · 15,979 undergraduates (large)
Admission rates
Latest admit rates
How much of the class comes from ED
~49% of enrolled freshmen were admitted through Early Decision.
This is a share of the freshman class, not an admit rate.
† Regular round (est.) = (all admitted students − Early Decision admits) ÷ (all applicants − Early Decision applicants).
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
Admission rates
ED share of the enrolled freshman class (% of first-years admitted ED, not an admit rate)
Early plans
Fall 2027 applicants
Testing
Testing policy
Superscoring
What this means:
- SAT
- Superscores
- ACT
- Superscores
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Required for fall 2027 entry. Score Choice allowed. Accepts the ACT-provided superscore.
How to send scores
Self-report accepted; official scores only after admission/enrollment
Send all scores? Score Choice allowed
School’s words: “Enrolling students are required to provide official scores from the testing agency for self-reported SAT and/or ACT scores. ... participates in the College Board Score Choice program”
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Students submitting scores
‡ Est. % submitting scores adds the share of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT to the share who submitted the ACT.
Score ranges (middle 50%)
Enrolled first-years who submitted scores, Fall 2025. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above.
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
Share of enrolled students submitting scores
SAT composite, middle 50%
ACT composite, middle 50%
Year-by-year data, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
| CDS year | Admitted | Admit rate | ED rate | ED share of class | Est. % submitting | % SAT | % ACT | SAT mid-50 | ACT mid-50 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 ↗ | 5,330 | 10.9% | 22.7% | Not reported | 100% | 71% | 41% | 1420-1540 | 32-35 | |
| 2020-21 ↗ | 5,514 | 10.7% | 24% | Not reported | 100% | 73% | 36% | 1410-1530 | 32-35 | |
| 2021-22 ↗ | 5,852 | 8.7% | 21.4% | Not reported | 61% | 41% | 20% | 1450-1540 | 33-35 | |
| 2022-23 ↗ | 5,168 | 7.3% | 19.2% | Not reported | 60% | 43% | 17% | 1470-1550 | 33-35 | |
| 2023-24 ↗ | 5,358 | 7.9% | 17.6% | Not reported | 56% | 42% | 14% | 1480-1550 | 33-35 | |
| 2024-25 ↗ | 5,516 | 8.4% | 11.6% | 33% | 59.5% | 44.9% | 14.6% | 1510-1560 | 33-35 | |
| 2025-26 ↗ | 6,077 | 8.4% | 18.8% | 49% | Not reported (scores not required for this whole class; required starting Fall 2026) | Not reported | Not reported | 1490-1550 | 33-35 |
Waitlist admit rate
Share of students who stayed on the waitlist and were later admitted, by entering class.
- 2025: 4%
- 2024: 6%
- 2023: 6%
- 2022: 5%
- 2021: 0.4%
Test policy in each Common Data Set
History only. The current policy is under Testing above.
- Fall 2027 Required2025-26 CDS
- Fall 2026 Required2024-25 CDS
- Fall 2025 Not reported2023-24 CDS
- Fall 2024 Test-optional2022-23 CDS
- Fall 2023 Test-optional2021-22 CDS
- Fall 2022 Test-optional2020-21 CDS
- Fall 2021 Not reported2019-20 CDS
Notes
- Cornell's Common Data Set reports the number of enrolled students who submitted SAT (1,639) and ACT (486) scores, but not the percentage.
- The school's report labels its Early Decision counts "Fall 2024 entering class", but they are for Fall 2025 admissions.