Cornell College

Cornell College is a mid-size private non-profit liberal arts college located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,086. The curriculum is structured around a broad-based liberal arts and sciences education, emphasizing critical thinking, written communication, and interdisciplinary inquiry with close faculty-student engagement across small classes. As an independently governed, non-profit institution relying on tuition, endowment returns, and philanthropic support, it operates within the broader Iowa postsecondary education landscape and is regionally accredited, making its credits and degrees eligible for federal financial aid. With a 80% acceptance rate, admission is open to most applicants. The 80% acceptance rate reflects a broadly open admissions approach serving a wide range of students. Net price for families earning \$48,001–$75,000 averages $20,177 per year. The highest program-level earnings outcomes are in CIP 00 — 10-year median earnings among aid recipients in these fields reach $84,938. The 4-year graduation rate is 67%, 22 percentage points above the national average of 45%. Among students who received federal financial aid, 10-year median earnings are $53,460.