Cornell University

Cornell University offers a variety of helpful ways and awards to make your college experience affordable. Financial aid is offered to “all U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens and has a limited amount of aid for international students. The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment is available to provide guidance, support and information for students and families interested in the financial aid process.” There are no academic or athletic scholarships available to students.

When you fill out your application and submit your FAFSA you will automatically be considered for grants or named endowed scholarships just as you would for any other need-based at at Cornell.

There are several ways to help subsidize your education should you consider Cornell. One is to apply for Residence Hall staff positions which will allow you free room & board in exchange for the service of one of these in-house residence hall positions. Award Matching is another way you may be able to save money on your Cornell Education. If you receive an award letter from another school that is more than your Cornell financial aid award, you can submit to have Cornell match you that award. If your financial situation changes in some way, Cornell may also allow you additional aid possibilities.

Emergency Funds are sometimes made available in special circumstances to students suffering an unexpected challenge or hardship. Financial Aid Initiatives are also part of Cornell University’s way of working to make your education more affordable. There are four possible financial aid initiatives:

• Undocumented Undergraduate Applicant Initiative: Undocumented and DACA students meeting certain requirements will be eligible for financial aid under the same terms granted to domestic students
• Green Card Initiative: International students who have been Green Card applicants for many years but are not not yet Legal Permanent Residents can receive need-based aid under the same terms granted to domestic students
• Parent Contribution Initiative: Families with a household income of less than $60,000, and total assets of less than $100,000 will have no expected parent contribution
• Low Debt Burden Initiative: Families eligible for the Parent Contribution Initiative will have no loans in their aid package, and Cornell caps the amount of loans offered based on a student’s family income

There are several financial assistance opportunities available for graduate and doctoral students at Cornell including Reduced Tuition for Advanced Self-Pay Students.a variety of Assistantships and Fellowships, and additional Travel Funding Opportunities for various educational adventures.

Additional financial assistance resources and tools that are available include the Net Price Calculator, a Financial Aid Glossary of Terms, and financial aid related video tutorials

Personal Finance at Cornell provides articles, tools, and resources for its students in an effort to enhance and grow financial literacy. Some of their resources include:

• Cash Course--financial skills for the real world
• GradSense-- enhancing student financial education
• The Simple Dollar Debt Payoff Calculator Tool