Frequently Asked Questions

There are a handful of general questions frequently posed to the OIRA staff. We have attempted to provide answers to many of these questions here. The responses provided are for the most recent academic year (2008-09) and conform to terms as defined.

1. What is Cornell’s enrollment?
Cornell’s full-time equivalent enrollment for 2008-09 was 1,111.

2. What is the ratio of students to faculty?
Cornell College has a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. This ratio represents the number of full-time equivalent students per full-time equivalent faculty member.

3. What is the College’s first-to-second year retention rate?
For the 2008-09 academic year, 82% of first-year students returned to the College for their second year

4. What is the College’s 6-year graduation rate?
Of those first-time, full-time students who began their college careers at Cornell in 2002-03, 71% graduated within six years.

5. What percentage of Cornell College tenured or tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., MFA, etc.)?
Ninety-six percent (96%) of Cornell’s tenured/tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees in their fields.

6. What are the five most popular majors?
The top five majors for 2008 graduates were: (1) Economics and Business, (2) Psychology, (3) English, (4) Kinesiology, and (5) History and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

7. What are the geographic origins of our students?
For the 2008-09 academic year, 25% of Cornell students hailed from Iowa. An additional 71.1% came from other states, with Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, and Wisconsin among the most frequently represented states. International students comprised the remaining 3.9% of the student population.

8. What is the average GPA for the student body?
The College’s average GPA is 3.2

9. What percentage of Cornell students live in campus housing?
Cornell is a residential campus. As such, 91% of the student body lives in campus housing