Simple — there are a lot of people who have a lot of money. The vast majority of people don’t. But 1-3% of the U.S. population can afford to pay full freight. In a country of 320 million people, that means that there are literally millions of people (3-6 million, roughly) who can easily write a check for the full tuition/room/board and not bat an eyelash. The cost of attending a prestigious college like Cornell is not a factor for these folks; it’s only about getting admitted. BTW, $240k is low. Tuition room and board is now running about $42k/semester. So a four-year Bachelors degree now costs about $336k. Answer from ProfessorrFate on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/cornell › cost of attendance has basically doubled in the past ten years
r/Cornell on Reddit: Cost of attendance has basically doubled in the past ten years
April 15, 2022 -

Does anyone else remember when paying $40k per year for college was considered ludicrous?? And now the total cost of attendance per year at Cornhell is a whopping 83k….how is this even remotely possible?😭

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Like many other universities in the US, Cornell has spent decades turning itself into a self-sufficient town with its own police force, gyms, cafeteria, power plant, health service, etc. Not to mention how every college got dozens of its own dean of xyz and other admins. It costs a lot of money to operate these infrastructures and pay all employees. Moreover, as colleges get more expensive, federal loans are made easier to obtain so students can still enroll. As federal loans are made easier to obtain, colleges also raise tuition, knowing that many people are willing to pay. You will be hard-pressed to find universities in Europe with their own police forces, powerplants, and other amenities that come with American higher education.
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Here are some numbers which illustrate the outrage over the cost of tuition, but remember that the numbers do not tell the whole story . CPI, which is the most common measure of inflation, is for a household, not an institution; the average household doesn't buy subscriptions to academic journals and research databases, for example, whose costs have also vastly exceeded consumer inflation. The largest cost a university has is employee compensation. Cornell currently reports that it has 7,420 non-academic staff at the Ithaca and New York Tech campuses. This is almost one staff member for every two undergraduates. Cornell is actually more efficient on this measure than schools like Stanford (11,815 non-academic staff to 7,000 undergrads) or Princeton (an insane 10,272 to 5,300), however, and Cornell isn't exactly known for splurging on employee pay, whether academic or non-academic. But so long as students are chasing prestige, universities chase it as well, and to attract the top students, they're going to add service upon service and build facility upon facility which need to be staffed and maintained. Malcom Gladwell had an interesting episode of his Revisionist History podcast comparing Vassar and Bowdoin, schools with similar selectivity and demographics and endowments. Basically, Vassar was putting a lot of effort into attracting high-achieving low-income students, and Bowdoin was putting a lot of effort into making its dining halls better to attract high-achieving high-income students, and Bowdoin was kind of winning. Cornell Endowed Tuition History Academic Year | Tuition and Fees | May 2022 dollars ( | CPI | ) | 1970-71 | $2,325 | $16,863 | 1975-76 | $3,775 | $19,530 | 1980-81 | $5,860 | $19,074 | 1985-86 | $10,500 | $28,183 | 1990-91 | $15,164 | $32,687 | 1995-96 | $20,066 | $37,453 | 2000-01 | $24,852 | $40,879 | 2005-06 | $31,467 | $45,421 | 2010-11 | $39,666 | $51,310 | 2015-16 | $49,116 | $59,761 | 2020-21 | $59,282 | $64,369 Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/25/archives/cornell-tuition-and-fees-to-increase-275-a-year.html https://dpb.cornell.edu/documents/1000212.pdf https://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/university-factbook/tuition
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reddit.com › r/cornell › cornell cals out of state tuition
r/Cornell on Reddit: Cornell CALS Out of State Tuition
October 4, 2023 -

Howdy folks! I'm currently enrolled in community college in Sacramento California, and Cornell CALS seems like an awesome school for me to attend. I have family upstate, living in Watkins Glen, so I've gotten a real love for the country out there. What's for me concerned is that I've been looking at the tuition costs for CALS, which I've been told is significantly less than the rest of the school, and it says that it's the same (frankly out of my middle class) price range.

If you were a CALS student, how much did you end up paying?

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reddit.com › r/cornell › can't afford cornell
r/Cornell on Reddit: Can't Afford Cornell
June 2, 2022 -

I learned earlier that I would be paying full price of tuition and room/board. However, I am unable to afford Cornell as my parents will not fund my education at Cornell for anything over $26,000, and frankly the asking price is a too high. Currently I am upper middle class in Bay Area and my parents' income is around $200,000 (sometimes up to $300,000 yearly with additional compensation) and we own one additional property. I don't think Cornell is very generous, but regardless, what is the chance that I will win an appeal for financial aid?

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Your parents make $200K-$300K per year /and/ own property. Even assuming the low-ish end of that range, say $225K, and assuming that's their pre-tax salary, it means your parents keep a little over $150K per year after taxes. While colleges like Cornell are ridiculously expensive, it would also be ridiculous to argue that your parents would struggle to afford Cornell in any way. Your parents could pay 70K/year for your tuition, housing in Ithaca, food, healthcare, and more, while still having over 80K/year left over to cover all of their other expenses... which is more than some people's families make pre-tax in a year. You also mention your parents own property, so they likely don't even need to pay rent. They almost certainly pay property taxes, sure, but that's like 1.1% of value in the Bay Area, and might still come out to less than many families are paying in rent on an annual basis. The only situation in which your parents would struggle to pay for Cornell would be if they're also putting one or two other children through college at the exact same time. Then that would genuinely make a dent in their income and would be valid reason for requesting some financial aid. But you haven't mentioned having siblings who are also attending college so I assume this isn't the case. my parents will not fund my education at Cornell for anything over $26,000 This honestly sucks, and it's a shitty situation to be in. But unfortunately, that's between you and your parents. It's not like they "can't pay". If "not willing to pay" was a valid reason to get financial aid, then why would anyone's family, regardless of how many millions of dollars they're worth, ever "be willing" to pay for their child's tuition at Cornell? All they'd have to say is "no" and they'd get it for free. It's unfortunate, but the alternative isn't practical for a private institution like Cornell at this point in time.
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bro seriously, my parents make a combined $140,000 ish and pay nearly full price, and we’re LUCKY to be making that much. Think of all the low-income students here who are struggling attending Cornell. I get that it’s way too expensive and I believe public colleges and universities should be tuition-free and student debt cancelled, but it sounds like you can afford it…
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reddit.com › r/cornell › past-due tuition. how will it affect me?
r/Cornell on Reddit: past-due tuition. How will it affect me?
January 17, 2023 -

well.. I was super dumb and thought tuition was due on Sep 7th for some reason. I was planning on paying it tomorrow, but I just found out it was due on Aug 7th. I'm an international student, so I will need to pay the money to a third party first who will then transfer the money to Cornell, which might take a few days. Will I get in trouble for this? Does it affect my enrollment in classes?

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reddit.com › r/cornell › cornell's tuition is too damn high
r/Cornell on Reddit: Cornell's tuition is too damn high
December 23, 2018 -

After reviewing the previous post regarding printer paper, I see that a lot of students are outraged by Cornell’s exorbitant tuition and asinine fees. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in forming a new student organization to advocate for reduced tuition, reduced administrative bureaucracy and an elimination/reduction of fees associated with parking, printing, etc. The school’s tuition is already well in excess of $70,000, and rapidly increasing. Food prices are another major concern. Many students here can not afford to feed themselves, and food on campus, while often lauded for its quality, is prohibitively expensive. I have no experience/knowledge of how to go about establishing such an organization or what activities/prerogatives it would pursue. But I think if enough students are interested we could maybe do something.

EDIT: Anyone interested plz PM me

2nd EDIT: $70,000 includes tuiton, room & board, which should have been specified.

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reddit.com › r/cornell › where did my tuition go?
r/Cornell on Reddit: Where did my tuition go?
April 24, 2025 -

I am almost spending $100k+ each year at Cornell including tuition, housing, food, textbook, and stuff (more if taking summer classes). And I just viewed my bill and tuition increased again this year. I love Cornell and everyone I met here and I think it is worth the tuition. However, I am just very curious, how is my tuition being used?

I heard almost all professors bring grants, which basically means they are paying themselves? Staff are not paid that much either. And now we are in a serious financial situation. So where did my tuition go?

Find elsewhere
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reddit.com › r/cornell › til the estimated cost of attendance at cornell for next year is $83,296. how many full-pay students are there?
r/Cornell on Reddit: TIL the estimated cost of attendance at Cornell for next year is $83,296. How many full-pay students are there?
April 18, 2022 - Weekly visitors · Weekly contributions ... FinAid but still pay tuition, room, and board · Receive full FinAid and do not pay (or pay <$1000) for tuition, room, and board ·...
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reddit.com › r/cornell › are you paying more in tuition now than compared to previous years?
r/Cornell on Reddit: Are you paying more in tuition now than compared to previous years?
July 31, 2021 -

This question is specifically for those receiving financial aid. As someone who doesn't receive aid, I've seen an increase in the cost of tuition from my freshman year (2019) to now by about $6,000. I recognize that I am extremely lucky and privileged that I can afford to go to college and that my parents are supporting me, but $6,000 is still quite a bit of money. I also want to emphasize that I am in no way saying that financial aid students should have to pay more. I'm just curious if Cornell is increasing aid packages to keep tuition consistent with previous years, or are you receiving the same amount of aid as before and having to pay more?

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reddit.com › r/cornell › any ways to afford tuition of master program?
r/Cornell on Reddit: Any ways to afford tuition of master program?
December 25, 2023 -

Hi guys, I just got admitted by Cornell M.Eng ORIE program with no scholarships. The tuition would be more than 60k/year according to the website and my family could provide very limited support cuz we are low-income. I checked out the loans but the aid office said most graduate borrowers are limited to $20,500 per year. Are there any possibilities or opportunities I could take to afford my tuition? Thanks for any advice.

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reddit.com › r/cornell › is cornell worth the money?
r/Cornell on Reddit: Is Cornell worth the money?
December 28, 2023 -

I got into Cornell College of Human Ecology for human development. While I am a good student, I honestly didn’t think I was going to get in. Because of that, I didn’t put a lot of thought into whether or not I could thrive at Cornell. Before this, my top choice was McGill since I am a Canadian citizen so I get very cheap tuition that wouldn’t put a dent in my wallet. I am also a New York resident so my tuition at Cornell does take into account the land grant discount, but still even with that McGill is so much cheaper. When comparing the two, Cornell has the better program for my interest and I think overall would be best when considering a masters degree. However, I’m not sure if the difference in tuition is something I can’t ignore.

So, with all that said, the main reason I’m here is to get people’s opinions on what I should do. The main things I’m looking for is research opportunities, decent student support, and good student life. I know a lot about those topics in regards from McGill since my sister goes there, but I’m very interested in the Cornell perspective on my situation.

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reddit.com › r/cornell › us gdp growth versus cornell tuition increase
r/Cornell on Reddit: US GDP growth versus Cornell Tuition Increase
December 10, 2021 -

US GDP unadjusted for inflation was 18.79x from 1974 to 2023. The cost of attending an endowed college at Cornell grew at a rate of 18.42x over the same period. Does this imply that the cost of tuition really has remained flat over the last 50 years? Essentially the same "type" (i.e. economic class) that could attend fifty years ago, is the same as the type of people that can attend now? What should somebody make of these numbers. To avoid selection bias, I began with the earliest year Cornell reports their tuition data.

https://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/university-factbook/tuition
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDP

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reddit.com › r/applyingtocollege › please help me choose between cornell (28k) and brown (44k)
r/ApplyingToCollege on Reddit: Please help me choose between Cornell (28k) and Brown (44k)
April 10, 2023 -

For context, I have been accepted to both schools. Cornell's financial aid is a bit more generous (28k vs. 44k), but from what I've heard, the environment there is very competitive and mentally taxing. I am unsure what to major in, which makes this difficult since it is quite obvious Cornell would be a first choice if I majored in STEM and Brown for humanities.

I love everything about Brown except for its higher tuition (my parents are willing to pay for my tuition. But based on my observations, they are unwilling to share their financial circumstances with me, even if they are tight on money, so I don't want to burden them financially). Also, the campus culture seems a little too laid back, so I'm wondering if I can actually get substantial education/experience for a high-paying job.

As for Cornell, it does not have the flexibility to choose majors outside of my school (Arts and Sciences), which is a disadvantage compared to Brown. However, people earn higher salary after graduating, so I'm wondering if the stress/competitive environment is actually worth it.

Can anyone in or had been in a similar situation speak to this? If yes, why did you choose one over the other? Any tip is appreciated!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/cornell › [deleted by user]
How do people pay for cornell?
September 23, 2024 - The subreddit for Cornell University, located in Ithaca, NY. ... Same. When I attended 15ish years ago I got a need based grant that covered around 70% of tuition, and got federal loans to cover the rest plus room/board.
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reddit.com › r/applyingtocollege › accepted ivy league offer but it’s way too expensive - how do i proceed
r/ApplyingToCollege on Reddit: accepted Ivy League offer but it’s way too expensive - how do I proceed
July 3, 2024 -

i got into Cornell but it costs $50k a year. My family can pay like $30k at most but they, as Asian parents, had me accept the offer to go to cornell. what do I do?

Cornell only uses outside scholarships for student contribution, which, for me, is only $5k because I don't have a job. I appealed for aid two times (although, to be fair, my second time was just asking why my first appeal didn't work and telling them how different my net price calculator tuition was) with reasons that I thought were pretty legit and got turned down both times.

I don't know what to do because I want to transfer out but I feel like I could only transfer out if I get into another prestigious university. which can happen, but im scared my dad will want me to be at an Ivy League, which idk if I can do since I'd have to upgrade from Cornell and idk how possible that would be, especially since I would be a transfer student. but ik my mom would be okay with me going to NYU or something. Is it possible to transfer after one semester? I'm guessing it's not very plausible. How long should I have to wait to transfer to another college?

On top of that, it's not like my interests are really high paying. I like English. I feel kinda lost right now in terms of what I'll be studying, but because my parents will be paying so much, I feel compelled to do something high paying (and my parents also want me to do finance, but I think I would literally be miserable). which I ... don't like because the debt would literally determine my whole life career if I do that.

Does anyone else have advice?