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Cornell College

Cornell College

Cornell College was founded by the Methodist minister, George Bryant Bowman, in 1853. It was then known as the Iowa Conference Seminary. In 1857, the institute was renamed the Cornell College. The sprawling campus of the college is spread across 129 acres of land in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Cornell College's recent enrollments have been more than 1,000 students, representing over 40 states and around 20 nations worldwide, every year.

Students of Cornell College can choose from over 40 academic majors. The academic calendar comprises nine “blocks” which enable students to take up one discipline during each of these blocks. This block plan calendar is called “One-Course-At-A-Time”. The Forbes magazine’s 2008 edition ranked Cornell College at the 21st position among the liberal arts institutes in the U.S.

The athletics department of Cornell College sponsors teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track and field, tennis, wrestling, softball, and volleyball. Nicknamed the Rams, the teams compete in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the NCAA. The wrestling team of the college has been the winner of a number of national championships.

Overview of Cornell College

Cornell is located in a town not far from a more urbanized area, in Mount Vernon, IA. The school is officially a United Methodist school. Cornell is a private, not-for-profit institution. Degree levels at the school top out at the Bachelor's degree.

Areas of Study

One of the good things about Cornell is its wide range of programs leading to degrees. Students at the school often study science, mathematics, art studies, drama and performing arts, and liberal arts.

Cornell Selectivity

The admissions department at Cornell does not accept all those who apply. In 2007, 55% of applicants were rejected at the school. Most students' verbal SAT scores were in the range of 540 to 680 in 2007. A quarter of students admitted in 2007 scored 650 or higher on the math SAT.

Faculty

Students at the school benefit from the low student/teacher ratio. The school's tenure system is geared toward rewarding and keeping the most valuable professors. By paying its faculty better than most schools, the school tries to attract and retain a high quality teaching staff.

Student Body

Cornell offers classes to 1,083 students (1,073 full-time equivalent).

Student Life

The school has a residential or campus feel. Many students live in housing on or near campus. The school does offer meal plans to students. Students sports include formal participation in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competitions.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Cornell

Cornell College
600 First St. SW
Mount Vernon, IA 52314-1098
General Phone: (319) 895-4000
http://www.cornellcollege.edu

Cornell Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts110economics, English, sociology, political science, interdisciplinary studies, history, French language, international relations, ...
Science53biochem/biophysics/molecular biology, biology, chemistry, physics, geology
Therapy And Counseling25psychology
Religion And Philosophy21philosophy, religion
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy19health and fitness
Art Studies18art studies
Education And Teaching18elementary school teaching, secondary teaching, music teaching, Latin teaching
Mathematics10mathematics
Drama And Performing Arts10drama
Computer Science And Engineering6computer science
Conservation And Resource Management5environmental studies
Music4music, music performance
Business And Management1international business

Number of programs and degrees for Cornell in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree30040

Cornell Student Body

In 2007, Cornell had a total enrollment of 1,083 students (1,073 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men50%
Women50%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White84%
Black3%
Hispanic3%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown6%
(Foreign Students)3%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1946%
20-2143%
22-249%
25-291%
30-340%
35-390%
40-490%
50-640%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Iowa22%
Illinois21%
Minnesota11%
Colorado11%
Wisconsin5%
Texas5%
Missouri3%
Kansas3%
(International Students)2%
California2%
Michigan2%
Florida2%
Nevada1%
Nebraska1%
South Dakota1%
Ohio1%
Virginia1%
Oregon1%
Utah1%
Washington1%
Georgia1%
Connecticut1%
Arkansas1%

Cornell Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time84 %

Cornell Room and Board (2007)

Cornell offers campus housing for 1,072 of its 1,073 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Mount Vernon, Iowa for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Iowa Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 20 meals per week.

Cornell Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total2,6591,20945%31626%
Men1,38658042%15727%
Women1,27362949%15925%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal540680
SAT Math530650
SAT Writing520640
ACT Verbal2329
ACT Math2228
ACT Composite2429

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencerecommended
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT38%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT85%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Cornell Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 26,280
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 26,280
Room and board$ 6,970
Room charge$ 3,250
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,720
Books and supplies$ 720
Other expenses$ 1,270

Financial Aid:
Cornell participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 185600)

Cornell Faculty

Cornell has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured3525
Non-tenured, but on tenure track612
Non-tenured and not on tenure track23

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year26$76,88413$72,594
Associate professoracademic year9$56,11812$55,852
Assistant professoracademic year6$49,59712$47,932
Instructoracademic year0*1*
No academic rankacademic year2*2*
All faculty totalacademic year43$67,29640$57,871

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Cornell Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
TrackIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Cornell Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
International Business/Trade/Commerce

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Elementary Education and Teaching
Latin Teacher Education
Music Teacher Education
Secondary Education and Teaching

LIBERAL ARTS
Anthropology, Other
Classical/Ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern Studies & Archaeology
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, General
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies, Other
French Language and Literature
General Studies
German Language and Literature
History, General
International Relations and Affairs
Latin American Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Russian Language and Literature
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MUSIC
Music Performance, General
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education/Fitness, Other

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biochemistry/Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Cornell Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Cornell Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Cornell Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Cornell % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 5%Cornell % of degrees in art studies
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Cornell % of degrees in science
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Cornell % of degrees in drama and performing arts
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Cornell Number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 12%Cornell Salaries of full-time faculty
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Cornell Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Cornell Student SAT scores
Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Cornell Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Cornell % of degrees in liberal arts
% of degrees in conservation and resource management
(colleges not offering open-admission)
Top 20%Cornell % of degrees in conservation and resource management
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
United Methodist affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

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