Cost to Attend
Understand costs and how affordable your Cornell education can be.
Whether you’re just beginning your search or putting the final touches on your application essay, there are many things to consider on your journey to college – including how you’ll afford your education. At Cornell, a world class university experience is accessible to students from every background. Applying for financial aid will significantly reduce the cost to attend Cornell for many students.
The estimated cost of attendance, sometimes called the “sticker price,” is often not the price a student will pay to attend Cornell. Rather, it is an estimate of the cost to attend, before financial aid is applied.
Cornell's estimated cost of attendance includes expenses that a typical, full-time undergraduate student will encounter in a traditional academic year – fall and spring semesters. The estimated cost of attendance includes both billed costs (such as tuition and fees) and non-billed costs (such as personal items and transportation). Expenses for housing, food, books, and other supplies may be billed or non-billed costs, depending on a student’s housing and participation in Cornell's Academic Materials Program. Estimated expenses also depend on several factors, including a student's undergraduate college, academic program, New York state residency, and on- or off-campus housing plans.
The total annual cost is the estimated cost of attendance minus financial aid (grants, work study, and loans.
| Estimated Cost of Attendance | GRANT AND SCHOLARHIP AID | Work-Study and STUDENT Loans | Total Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual costs for one academic year (Fall, Spring) | Gift aid such as Cornell grants, federal Pell grants, New Yort State grants, or other grant or scholarship aid that do not need to be repaid. | Self-help aid such as federal work-study that can be earned through part-time employment, or federal student loans which must be repaid, with interest. | Annual "out-of-pocket" cost for a family. |
Cornell meets eligible students’ full demonstrated financial need (the total estimated cost of attendance minus expected family contribution) with a financial aid offer that includes grants (Cornell, federal Pell, or NY State when eligible), an annual work-study award, and reasonable student loans depending on total family income.
Your expected family contribution is the amount your family is expected to contribute to your education annually and is determined by family income, assets, family size and the number siblings who are also in college.
- To learn more about expected family contributions and eligibility for aid please visit our financial aid eligibility page.
2023-2024 Estimated Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance reflects estimated expenses prior to financial aid. In addition to the estimated budgets below, we encourage you to use the Financial Aid Calculator to estimate your family’s unique cost to attend.
| Estimated Expense | Endowed Colleges | State Contract Colleges: Non-NY State Residents | State Contract Colleges: NY State Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $65,204 | $65,204 | $43,888 |
| Student activity Fee | $310 | $310 | $310 |
| Health Fee | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Housing | $11,562 | $11,562 | $11,562 |
| Food | $6,992 | $6,992 | $6,992 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, Equipment | $1,364 | $1,364 | $1,364 |
| Personal Expenses | $2,218 | $2,218 | $2,218 |
| Total | $88,150 | $88,150 | $66,834 |
Note: Estimated expenses for supplies are slightly higher for students enrolled in Architecture and Art, Landscape Architecture, Design & Environmental Analysis, and Fiber Science & Apparel Design programs.
Additional Expenses
- Transportation - Estimated annual costs associated with transportation to and from campus are assessed by region.
- Health Insurance - Students not already covered by health insurance that meets Cornell's health insurance requirements, along with international students, are required to purchase the Cornell Student Health Plan.
Undergraduate Colleges and Schools
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences*
- College of Architecture, Art and Planning
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Human Ecology*
- Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy*
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
- Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
- Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management*
* New York residents attending undergraduate programs in three of Cornell’s contract colleges and schools, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and Bachelor of Science candidates in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy are eligible for Cornell’s New York State contract college tuition rate.
Undergraduate Tuition at Endowed vs. State Contract Colleges and Schools
Three of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges or schools – Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, and Industrial and Labor Relations – are established by an act of the New York State Legislature, receive direct funding from New York state, and are operated by Cornell under contract with the state.
The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management is a shared school between the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy is a hybrid academic unit that partners with contract and endowed colleges to offer undergraduate programs.
