Cornell College

Cornell College
600 First St SW
Mount Vernon, Iowa 52314
800-747-1112
Website: https://www.cornellcollege.edu
Year Founded: 1853
President: Jonathan Brand
Enrollment: Over 1,000 students
Cornell College

Cornell College, a selective liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, attracts a colorful community of diverse, empathetic neighbors—students, faculty, staff, and alumni—who care about each other. Cornell’s block plan is one reason it is included in “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges.” Professors and their students focus on one class per 18-day block. It’s the innovative—some might say ingenious—foundation of every Cornellian’s education. Flexible, experiential. Cornell has been living, learning, and teaching on the block plan, One Course At A Time, since 1978 when it left the semester plan behind. Research, internships, service opportunities, and block-long courses that take the students and professors off-campus and even out of the country are made possible due to the block’s flexibility.


Distinctive Facts & Features

  • Cornell College’s One Course At A Time curriculum takes a distinctive approach to a liberal arts education by offering life-changing immersion in a single academic subject per academic block.
  • Cornell’s STEM space doubled with the opening of Russell Science Center in 2018, along with West Science Hall being completely renovated.
  • 92% of the Class of 2024 completed their degree in four years.
  • Cornell’s entire campus is on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Cornell is one of only 293 U.S. colleges with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society.
Student Profile

  • Male: 53%
  • Female: 42%
  • Undeclared gender: 5%
  • In-state Students: 31%
  • Out-of-State Students: 69%
  • States represented: 48, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
  • Foreign countries represented: 26
  • Domestic students of color: 26%
Most Popular Majors
  • Kinesiology-Exercise Science
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Psychology-Specialist
  • Computer Science
  • English and Creative Writing
  • Business Finance
  • Secondary Education Certification
  • History
  • Biology
  • Politics
Cost

  • Tuition: $54,056
  • Room & Board: $12,064
Financial Aid Data

  • 99.1% of students receive financial assistance.
  • Cornell’s financial aid budget for 2024-25 is $36.99 million.
Class Size
  • Faculty-student ratio: 1:14
  • Average class size: 16
  • All classes capped at 25 students
Faculty
  • 74 full-time faculty
  • 99% of faculty hold a doctorate or terminal degree 
Athletics and Intramural Activities
  • NCAA Division III
  • Intercollegiate teams: 20       
  • 50% of students participate in intercollegiate athletics        
Co-curricular Activities

  • Cornell has over 50 clubs and group involvement opportunities, including student organizations, local Greek organizations; academic honor societies, and intramural teams.
  • Cornell’s Mock Trial program, established in 2006, has qualified for the national championship tournament eight times, competing against large state schools and Ivy League universities.
  • Cornell's student-run Performing Arts and Activities Council (PAAC) provides frequent entertainment, bringing in bands, comedians, hypnotists, game shows, Casino Night, and craft programs.


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