Frequently Asked Questions

Admission decisions for first-year, regular decision applicants are released in late March. Admission decisions for early decision candidates are released in mid-December.

Transfer decisions are released on a rolling basis in May and June. Please note: Cornell is not offering transfer admission for the Spring 2025 semester.

All decisions are released via an online notification system so it is important that applicants keep their email address current. For more information, please visit the How to Apply page.

When we receive your application and application fee (or fee waiver request), we will email you with the information you need to establish an online application status account. This may take up to two weeks at peak processing times.

Receiving your Applicant ID and PIN via email is your confirmation that we have received your application. Using this secure site, you will be able to track your application materials and update your email address as necessary.

Students who are not admitted during the Early Decision period may be deferred to Regular Decision or denied admission altogether.

Deferrals to Regular Decision are only granted to a small number of students who are in serious contention for a spot in the class.

Unfortunately, if a student is denied in Early Decision, he/she cannot re-apply to any of the seven undergraduate colleges/schools at Cornell University.

For students applying to Cornell Engineering for fall 2025 enrollment, SAT/ACT test scores are not required but are recommended. For enrollment in fall 2026 and beyond, applicants to all Cornell undergraduate colleges and schools will be required to submit standardized test scores.

Admitted students are usually those who have excelled in their studies, particularly in math and sciences, and who have grades that are generally in the A range. Most of the students admitted to Cornell Engineering fall within the top 10% of their high school graduating class. When considering a student’s GPA, we look at the rigor of the high school curriculum, whether the GPA is weighted or un-weighted, and whether the student has taken challenging courses if they are offered at their school.

It all depends on what you view as the quality of your preparation. Many students wish they hadn’t passed out of courses because:

• they can solidify the material much better in a new setting
• getting good grades in classes builds confidence for more difficult classes and should help your GPA

Reasons to take the AP credit are:

• to have reduced course loads each semester, and by extension more free time
• to be able to minor or otherwise diversify your educational experience

AP level coursework is not required as long as candidates receive one full unit of the required subjects (calculus, chemistry and physics) during their high school years.

AP level courses are rigorous and having access to this level of coursework can strengthen candidates’ opportunities for admission and potential to succeed academically in the engineering curriculum.

Cornell Engineering will award credit for certain advanced classes based on exam results. In addition, college courses taken during high school that meet certain criteria may be reviewed for transfer credit.

Please note that transfer credit is not guaranteed, and requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure that all department and College policies have been met for credit to be awarded. For more information, please refer to the College’s websites on AP and Transfer Credit and the Transfer Credit Application Process. Matriculating students may also earn credit by taking a Cornell Advanced Standing Exam (CASE) during the fall orientation period. Cornell University’s Registrar is the official determinant of all credit transfer policies.

Calculus is extremely important given the engineering common curriculum, which includes several calculus courses during the first two years at Cornell.

Cornell Engineering requires one year (or one high school unit) of calculus as a component of the engineering application because our engineering curriculum is fundamentally driven by facility in calculus.

Any applicant choosing to apply to Cornell Engineering without meeting this requirement would be placed at a substantial disadvantage relative to the engineering applicant pool. This is important to factor in during the college search process. Rare exceptions can be made, but may require the admitted student to come to Cornell during the summer before his/her freshman fall semester to take a college-level calculus class.

If it is possible for you to gain calculus experience during your senior year at a local or community college, it will be in your best interest to do so.

Cornell University only allows applicants to apply to one of the seven undergraduate colleges and schools.

Interviews are not required nor are they offered for Cornell Engineering.

No, you do not apply to a particular major; you apply to the college.

When you apply to Cornell Engineering, you can indicate an intended major if you wish.

You do not officially select your major until the second semester of your sophomore year.

It is not uncommon for students to change their minds about what area of engineering they’d like to specialize in.

Students are required to submit their Common Application electronically. We strongly encourage you to upload supplemental materials using your application status portal. If your supplemental material cannot be uploaded electronically, items can be mailed to the below address if necessary.

Please include full name, application ID#, and birthdate on all correspondence.

Cornell University Application Processing Center
410 Thurston Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850

Two (2) Teacher Recommendations. We require at least one recommendation be from a math, science or computer science teacher. The second recommendation may be from a teacher instructing a subject of your choice. If you are an international or ESL student, we strongly encourage that the second recommendation be from a teacher who can directly address your English proficiency. We suggest giving your teachers at least one month to write the letters, and be sure they know you and your work well.

In order to understand and appreciate the depth and variety of the homeschool experience, the admissions selection committee requires the following information for all four years prior to entering college:

• English: list of books (including all textbooks and other anthologies) you have read each year; how many papers and how long (indicate which are creative and which are expository writing); any research papers (list titles and length of each).
• Social Studies: list of textbooks and books you have read each year; how many papers (topics listed) and how long; independent research projects (titles and lengths).
• Foreign Language: list of textbooks you have read each year; list of projects and/or papers; descriptions and dates of visits to other countries.
• Science: textbooks you have used each year (description of topics covered if you did not use a textbook or only used part of the book); list of experiments and/or field trips; any projects or research done (titles and time spent).
• Mathematics: textbooks (covering which topics) you have used each year; any independent projects (titles and time spent).
• We ask that applicants provide an official high school transcript if available, as well as transcripts from any college courses you may have taken. You should also send information on independent projects, laboratory experiences, research projects, etc. In addition, you may submit scores from any standardized examinations (state, SATs, ACTs, APs).

No, you must be accepted into and affiliate with a specific Engineering major.

No, Cornell Engineering does not enroll students for a second bachelor’s degree.

Individuals who already hold an undergraduate degree need to apply for a graduate degree program.

Submit your financial aid application materials by the deadlines. This allows our Financial Aid officers and counselors the time they need to fully and completely review your application for aid, and it allows your family to fully consider the financial aid estimate offered to you when making a decision about where to attend for the fall.

The Office of Financial Aid has all of the forms and deadlines you need to submit a financial aid application.

When you receive your financial aid package, you will work with Cornell’s Financial Aid Office to work out the details of your aid package.

On the rare occasion that your aid estimate does not meet your family’s need, you will be released from your Early Decision agreement, and free to apply to other institutions.

No. All financial aid recipients must reapply for financial aid each year.

If you are eligible for financial aid and your family’s financial situation remains constant, you can expect a consistent financial aid package from year to year, both in terms of what you can expect in the aid award and the amount that you and your family will be expected to contribute.

Some factors may affect the way your need is calculated (and thus change your award), such as changes in income, number of people in the household, or the number of children in your household who are full-time undergraduate students.

No. Cornell’s financial aid is need-based. Cornell University offers financial aid solely on the basis of demonstrated financial need.

We do not offer merit awards for academic, athletic, musical, or other talents.

We do have selective programs, such as the Cornell Commitment ↗ programs, that recognize, reward, and encourage further development of a select group of students who exemplify Cornell’s commitment to academic excellence, work and service, research and discovery, and leadership and learning, and in so doing, enrich their experience at Cornell and beyond.

Cornell Engineering also has the Jacobs Scholars and the McMullen Scholars which recognize selected students for their potential as future engineers.

All Cornell Engineering applicants may be considered for these programs during the application review process.