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Welcome Admitted Students!

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Congratulations on your offer of admission — we’re so excited to welcome you to the Big Red community!

We know costs and financial aid are a very important part of your college decision. Cornell proudly provides financial aid offers that meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need to all eligible undergraduate aid applicants. If you haven’t yet, please take a few moments to learn more about Cornell’s Commitment to Access and Affordability.

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Understanding your Cornell Financial Aid Offer

Your financial aid offer includes three important sections:

Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) — The Cornell estimated cost of attendance is a summary of education-related expenses a typical full-time undergraduate student should expect for a traditional academic year (Fall and Spring), before financial aid. The estimated cost of attendance includes standard amounts used to determine your financial aid eligibility.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC) — Your Cornell expected family contribution is an estimate of your family’s “out-of-pocket” costs for the academic year. Your expected family contribution is determined annually using information from your CSS Profile and other documents such as tax forms, tax schedules, and W-2 forms. Cornell considers both income and assets in our calculations. Your expected family contribution includes both student and parent contributions.

Financial Aid — Your Cornell aid offer includes financial aid that totals 100 percent of your demonstrated financial need from a variety of sources — grants and scholarships (gift aid), work (self-help aid that must be earned), and, depending on your total family income, student loans (self-help aid that must be repaid). Your demonstrated need for the academic year equals the Cornell estimated cost of attendance, minus your Cornell EFC.

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Financing Options

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Outside Scholarship

If you are expecting an outside scholarship from an external organization your financial aid offer will be reevaluated. Please upload a copy of your scholarship award letter to our Secure Document Upload portal.

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International Students

If you are an international student, please carefully review the Terms of International Scholar Awards. Unless you qualify for an exemption, 14% of grant and scholarship aid in excess of “qualified” tuition and fees will be withheld from your aid, per federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax requirements.

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Military-Affiliated Families

Thank you for your service to our nation! If you are interested in utilizing Post-9/11 GI Bill and/or Yellow Ribbon benefits, please visit our Veterans Education Benefits page.

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Other Education Financing Options

Cornell offers several other flexible payment and financing programs to assist your family, including:

 

Next Steps

1. Discuss

Discuss your Expected Family Contribution. Talk with your family about how your expected family contribution will be paid or financed. Fall semester charges are billed by the Bursar’s Office in early July and payment is due in early August each academic year.

2. Accept

Accept or decline self-help aid (work-study or loans) in Student Center. Cornell requires active acceptance of all self-help aid (work or loans) offered. Grants and scholarships (gift aid) included in your aid offer do not need to be accepted. If you accept loans, be sure to complete federal Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Notes online. If you accept work-study, begin searching for student employment opportunities.

3. Request

If you are interested in financing your expected family contribution, request additional federal or private student loans, or a Parent PLUS Loan after June 1st, 2025. (Why wait until June 1st, 2025? Parent PLUS and private student loans require a credit check which typically needs to be completed within 90 days of the first disbursement in mid-August.)

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4. Checklist

Check your “To Do” list in Student Center. Occasionally, we may require additional documentation to confirm eligibility for certain types of aid. If you have outstanding To Do list items, please respond promptly to avoid delay.

5. Watch

Watch for email updates from the Financial Aid Office. We communicate primarily with you via email. Parents should coordinate with students to access important email messages. Common items for us to email students about include verifying sibling(s) enrollment in college, loan promissory notes and entrance counseling, and reapplying for aid for future years.

FAQs

The Cornell estimated cost of attendance used to determine your demonstrated need and eligibility for Cornell grant and scholarship aid includes standard amounts billed by Cornell (such as tuition, housing and food if living on-campus, and mandatory fees), and certain estimated costs not billed by Cornell (such as books, supplies and personal items).

The Cornell estimated cost of attendance does not include non-standard or optional fees and charges. Non-standard or optional fees and charges include but are not limited to; course fees, premium housing charges, gym memberships, public transportation passes, parking fees, and the cost of Cornell’s Student Health Plan (SHP).

Cornell’s Student Health Plan automatically billed to most students, unless waived.

You may request an increase to your estimated cost of attendance and additional student, parent, or private loans to cover the cost of non-standard or optional fees and charges. Additional grant or scholarship aid is not available from the Financial Aid Office.

If you have unusual family circumstances (such as parental abandonment or incarceration, refugee/asylee status), or if your family has experienced special economic circumstances (such as job loss), please consider using the appropriate appeal process to request a secondary review of your Cornell EFC.

Your aid offer includes aid from all available sources known to Cornell, including federal, state, private, and university aid programs. Your aid offer may be revised, if additional aid from either internal or external sources becomes available.

Eligibility for Cornell grants and scholarship is determined using your Cornell EFC from the CSS Profile. Eligibility for federal aid is determined using your federal Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA.

Additional student, parent, or private loan options may be available to finance your expected family contribution.

We're here to help!

Big Red is available 24/7 and can answer many general financial aid questions. For more detailed questions contact the Financial Aid Office by email at finaid@cornell.edu. For questions involving personally sensitive issues, connect with a financial aid counselor by phone (607.255.5145), or by virtual appointment during regular office hours.


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