Our Mission
Cornell is an independent, coeducational, residential liberal arts college, established in 1853, nurtured by the United Methodist Church, and dedicated to fostering intellectual, moral, and personal growth.
The college is committed to sustaining a community devoted to liberal learning and democratic values. To this end, it seeks to provide a caring environment for living and learning, characterized by close relationships, physical and emotional well-being, appreciation of diversity, affirmation of equal opportunity and academic freedom, and respect for the dignity and worth of each individual.
Read our full mission statement
Our Vision & Progress
Cornell has developed a bold and comprehensive plan to grow the college into the 21st century. Our Master Plan for Facilities includes new and updated buildings across campus, ranging from expansions to West Science Center and The Commons to major renovations of Pfeiffer Hall, King Chapel, and Rood House.
The college has also launched it's largest capital campaign ever, Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College. In addition to the facilities improvements outlined in the Master Plan, the campaign includes significant efforts to enhance academics. Several major new programs have already resulted, including:
* The Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy
* Dimensions: The Center for the Science and Culture of Healthcare
* The Center for Teaching and Learning
The college is also committed to becoming a more sustainable campus. A campus-wide sustainability committee has met since the spring of 2007 to form a direction and specific steps. Their work has generated an initial sustainability policy statement for the college.
Cornell College is a 1,200-student liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron tycoon William Wesley Cornell, who was a distant relative of Ezra Cornell (founder of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York).
Cornell students study one course at a time (commonly referred to as "the block plan" or "OCAAT"). Since 1978, school years have been divided into nine "blocks" of three-and-a-half weeks each (usually followed by a four-day "block break" to round out to four weeks), during which students are enrolled in a single class; what would normally be covered in a full semester's worth of class at a typical university is covered in just seventeen-and-one-half Cornell class days. Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Quest University in Garibaldi Highlands, BC, Canada; Tusculum College in Tusculum, Tennessee; and The University of Montana - Western are the only other colleges operating under this academic calendar.
From the beginning, Cornell has accepted women into all degree programs. In 1858, Cornell was the first college west of the Mississippi to grant a baccalaureate degree to a woman. Mary Fellows, a member of the first graduating class from Cornell College, received a bachelor's degree in mathematics. In 1871, Harriette J. Cooke became the first female college professor in the United States to become a full professor with a salary equal to that of her male colleagues.
Cornell College is listed as one of the Princeton Review's Best 357 Colleges and in Loren Pope's, Colleges That Change Lives.
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 93% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Basketball (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Baseball (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Track (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 23,680 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 23,500 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 180 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,600 | 30% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 3,285 | 17% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 14,366 | 97% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,640 | 75% | |
Any Aid: |
98% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 66% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 30% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 560, Math: 550 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 680, Math: 680 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 86% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 23, Verbal: 23, Math: 23 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 29, Verbal: 29, Math: 28 |
| Application Fee: | $ 40.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
