Why Does Cornell CHOOSE to be Least Selective?

[Brown_man1987]

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Brownman, I have to humbly disagree. If the marginal cost of an additional student is covered by the tuition, and the fixed cost of attendance across the university stays the same, then the average total cost of attendance for each student the the university would have to pay, would go down. Meaning, the difference, Actual Cost - Tuition, would go down, meaning Cornell would be covering less of what they would have been before hand, per student.

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<p>Cornell2011, we’ll have to agree to disagree. The average total cost of each student will go down just because there are a greater number of students (but that is not what matters- total cost to the entire university is what matters):</p>

<p>Average total cost = Total cost to the university divided by the #of students</p>

<p>Because the number of students is high, the numerical fraction above is small. Yes the average total cost per student goes down, but the total cost to the university as a whole will remain the same so there is no monetary benefit to the university. Now if they could lower the total cost to the university, that would be a different story. Maybe I am just misinterpreting what you’re saying.</p>

<p>None of the tuition money goes towards defraying the total cost to the entire university if the marginal cost of admitting another student is equal to the tuition that they pay, and the total cost to the entire university is what really matters. The average cost per student is only small because there are so many students- in my opinion average cost per student does not really mean much. Total cost to the university is what matters.</p>

[cornell2011]

<p>I guess we will. </p>

<p>I’m honestly not sure how we can quantitatively determine what perspective is true, but I guess, as it stands there has to be a reason Cornell isn’t changing its class size. </p>

<p>Also, I’m not of the opinion that Cornell should change its class size, because that is one of the things that make it great and different. </p>

<p>I don’t know, that’s just my opinion though.</p>

[dewdrop87]

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^ There’s only North Campus and West Campus?</p>

<p>If that’s true…not even sophomore housing would be available, because there are more than 1,800 sophomores.

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<p>A very large number of Cornellians move off campus after freshman year. Also…a big number move into greek housing and the co-ops.</p>