Hi! Current high school junior here. I am looking to apply to Cornell next year and, in the event of getting accepted, was wondering whether the cost of going would be worth it. I’ve looked at how much financial aid is given and am a little worried at how much debt I would be left in after an undergrad. My parents combined income is above 100k but we are a family of 6 so I am not sure if I would get any aid. I know Cornell does not give any merit or academic scholarships (eep!). I am looking at the science departments specifically and would love to go. Please help!
@AnnotationNation Sit down with your parents and run their financials through Cornell’s Net Price Calculator. It will provide an estimate of how much need-based aid you are likely to get.
Run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) on Cornell’s website to get a general idea of what you out-of-pocket cost would be.
Ok, thank you so much! Does anyone have any experience with going to Cornell?
@AnnotationNation there are plenty of folks with experience attending Cornell. You might find them on the Cornell are of this forum.
BUT what exactly do you want to know from them? Their financial aid experience has no bearing on yours. What they like or don’t like shouldn’t be your decision…that needs to be up to you.
Run the net price calculator for Cornell. Then, start looking for colleges that you know will be affordable, and where you have good potential to be accepted.
If you tell folks here your SAT or ACT score, and GPA, possible major, etc, they probably can give you some affordable suggestions.
Also, you MUST have a conversation with your parents about college costs.
Agree- if you are interested in Cornell, best info here would be on that forum.
Short answer…no it’s not worth going if you’re going to come out with a dump truck load of debt. Plus, with your grades, you’re sure to have some great scholarships. That would be a win-win for everyone. Scholarship deadlines are approaching, so you want to research them now. Check out Alabama, TCU, and Baylor for starters.
This is kind a generic question, and it’s also an unanswerable question.
There is always a cheaper option, and there is always a more expensive option.
My own D1 passed up a free ride at our state U to attend an expensive private college.
My son passed up a private university to attend a much cheaper state university.
My D2 graduated from Cornell.
Of these three, D2 “launched” most successfully after college, and is doing the best to date. The measure I am using here is ease of successfully entering, and thriving in, the workplace. Though a liberal arts grad, she has been continuously employed since shortly after graduation, and has successfully made several job moves that have enhanced her position.
She made the most of her college life there, successful academically and with extensive extracurricular involvements that help paved the way for her current life.
Would she have been doing just as well coming from one of the other two schools?
Actually in her case I dont think so. There were a few Cornell and Ithaca-specific things she wound up in that would not have been the same elsewhere. Undoubtedly elsewhere there may have been other things for her. Her capabilities were her own, but Cornell helped her showcase and develop them.
But there are no doubt other people there who don’t do well, don’t thrive there, don’t seek or get the opportunities for self-development. Perhaps some of them would be better off someplace else, the place that better helps them develop.
For whatever reason of fit.
.
Some of this is unknowable at the outset, in some cases one can at least make an educated guess.
It’s even unknowable in retrospect. However you are dong 20 years after graduation, there is no way to know how you would be doing if you had instead attended someplace else.
You just make your best guess, based on what you know at the time, and hope for the best.
FWIW, I think the difference makers for D2 were the match with certain extracurriculars she was able to participate in, and the availability of the other colleges, that helped her to gain some knowledge and experience in a couple more-applied areas that would not have been offered at a typical LAC.
But again, that’s her.
As others have mentioned, the net price calculator will give you a pretty good estimate of the total cost of attendance. If Cornell is a good fit, you should definitely apply and see what kind of financial aid package they give you. You might be surprised at what they can do for you. In general, private schools have a lot more flexibility with financial aid/ scholarships compared to public universities.
@nitric_acid The calculator is worthless. Even when I overestimated everything it said we would get some grant $ and instead when my D was just accepted, she ultimately was not given anything and her contribution is some outrageous amount of money. This on top of having a second kid also going to college.
@srparent15 we’ve got 3 in college, and the calculator was pretty accurate for us. The only wildcard here is whatever you put in the CSS profile, which asks all kinds of questions about assets, home value, etc. That puts people in expensive to live areas at a serious disadvantage, since your home is seen as a giant piggy bank.
Cornell is cold. Visit during winter and decide. During early summer, everything seems wonderful. Can be worse than Boston winter.
My advice to you is to use the net price calculator and see if the cost looks within the range of affordability for your family. Will any of your siblings be in college at the same time as you? That may help with FA. Are you a NYS resident? That can help…depending.
I would sit down with your parents and ask them what they can pay each year for college. This number, combined with your student loan if necessary ( $5500 your first year) plus any work earnings will dictate what you can pay for college.
My advice is to choose a list of schools that come in with enough financial aid for all four years, and/or schools that will give you merit.
Cornell is worth the cost if it’s affordable without your parents going into debt ( they have four kids to send to school), and if it is a fit for you. Remember…there are many wonderful schools out there. Good luck!
Your family sounds like mine. I’d agree that the NPC is pretty unpredictable. Some schools gave us less than predicted while some gave more. Cornell wasn’t cheap but it cost less than I expected. If you are from NYS and are interested in life sciences, apply to CALS or Human Ec to save $$$.
I turned down 2 full rides to come here and I don’t regret my decision. Don’t go deep into debt for the experience. In my opinion though Cornell might even be worth a small loan.
I have a son who recently graduated and now working on a Masters at Cornell,
And now even as he is nearly done with a masters, I am not sure it was “worth” the price.
On one hand, he met brilliant people that pushed him to learn more through collaboration and competition.
On the other hand, as a very large school, nobody forces you to take advantage of what they have to offer.
You can easily get lost in the crowed, and the workload. He had a very stressful 4 years that almost broke him,
and if he ended that with a pile of debt I doubt it would have been worth it for him, but might be useful for others.
The name on your resume will get attention, but it’s you they are interviewing, not Cornell.
If you are smart, hardworking, you can do well anywhere. But if Cornell makes it affordable then this might be an excellent place to consider. Lots to offer, beautiful campus, brilliant people, but very challenging. I would apply and see what you get in terms of financial aid.