Cornell College
Cornell College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Cornell College Featured Rankings
About Cornell College
According to Wikipedia, Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron tycoon William Wesley Cornell.
Cornell College's Online Degrees
BFA/MFA in Fine Arts
Degree Concentrations
- Creative Writing Low-Residency
- Completion Time: 2 years
MPH in Public Health
Degree Concentrations
- Epidemiology
- Community and behavioral health
- Occupational and environmental health
- Completion Time: 5 years
Cornell College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,087 | 80% | 80% | 60% | 1202 | 26 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Cornell College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $54,776 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $18,469 |
| 30K - 48K | $18,144 |
| 48K - 75K | $20,791 |
| 75K - 110K | $23,291 |
| 110K+ | $32,919 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Cornell College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Cornell College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $57,224 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Cornell College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 1,142 | 1,140 | 2 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Cornell College?
Cornell College is located at 600 First St. SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314.
How Safe is Cornell College?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Cornell College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Cornell College has a violent crime rate of 0.18% and a property crime rate of 0.18%. Mount Vernon has a violent crime rate of 0.20% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.53%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Cornell College Known For?
Cornell College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Literature
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Computer Science
- History
- Sociology
- Engineering
- Anthropology
- Earth Sciences
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
- Education
- Business
Cornell College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Cornell College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Cornell College ranks #352 in the U.S. and #1579 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesCornell College ranks #468 in the U.S. and #2316 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesCornell College ranks #548 in the U.S. and #2262 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesCornell College ranks #569 in the U.S. and #1483 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesCornell College ranks #584 in the U.S. and #1771 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesCornell College ranks #614 in the U.S. and #2679 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesCornell College ranks #615 in the U.S. and #2060 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesCornell College ranks #650 in the U.S. and #2906 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesCornell College ranks #708 in the U.S. and #2090 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesCornell College ranks #756 in the U.S. and #2589 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesCornell College ranks #828 in the U.S. and #4629 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesCornell College ranks #857 in the U.S. and #2633 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesCornell College ranks #907 in the U.S. and #3398 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesCornell College ranks #931 in the U.S. and #4012 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesCornell College ranks #970 in the U.S. and #4599 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesCornell College ranks #1037 in the U.S. and #4433 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesCornell College ranks #1258 in the U.S. and #4634 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWho Are Cornell College's Most Influential Alumni?
Cornell College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Physics, and Literature. Here are some of Cornell College's most famous alumni:
- Lee Alvin DuBridge
- An American physicist.
- Leo Beranek
- An American acoustical engineer.
- David C. Hilmers
- An American astronaut.
- Mary Blue
- An American neurobiologist.
- Michael J. Graham
- An American academic administrator and priest.
- Don E. Fehrenbacher
- An American historian .
- Michael W. Allen
- An American software developer, educator, and author.
- Thomas Caywood
- A .
- Franklin Littell
- A Theologian, Holocaust scholar .
- Edward Thomas Devine
- An American academic. Edward Thomas Devine is professor of Social Economy .
- Aleta Arthur Trauger
- A United States federal judge.
- Frank Hole
- An American archaeologist and prehistorian .
