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University or college · Private nonprofit

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA2 online only

Cornell College is a private nonprofit college in Mount Vernon, IA, with about 1,082 students on campus.

Visit www.cornellcollege.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,082
plus 2 studying only online
Admission rate
80%
higher than at 55% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$23,634
higher than at 67% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
62%
higher than at 63% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$53,460
higher than at 76% of U.S. colleges
In brief

Cornell College, in brief

Few families pay the sticker price

The full cost of a year is $66,249, but the average family on federal aid pays $23,634 after grants, about 64% less. What it costs ↓

Students are a big part of Mount Vernon

25% of Mount Vernon’s 4,514 residents are enrolled in college. Median rent runs 20% below the state. Living in Mount Vernon ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $66,249 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $52,660Room & board $11,850Books & supplies $1,320

After grants, the average family on aid pays $23,634.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$20,177

About $80,708 over 4 years · 70% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Cornell College?

80%

of applicants admitted

About 16 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
575–655
SAT math
545–630
ACT
23–30

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1234.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
62%
within 6 years · Pell students 52%
Come back for year two
80%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$53,460
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$27,000
about $286 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

8.7%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$286 a month against about $3,275 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

71%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 88% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$47k
Middle income$30–75k
$57k
Higher incomeover $75k
$54k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Parks, recreation & fitness 14%Biology 14%Education 10%Business 10%Psychology 8%Visual & performing arts 7%Everything else 36%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods24 graduates a year
—not reported
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness18 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$59k4 yrs out
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology16 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$65k4 yrs out
Computer Science15 graduates a year
$85k4 yrs out
Fine and Studio Arts13 graduates a year
$38k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods11 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$48k4 yrs out
Engineering, General11 graduates a year
—not reported
Biology, General11 graduates a year
—not reported
Who goes there

The students

1,086 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 69%Hispanic 11%Black 8%Asian 4%Two or more 1%International 3%

Women and men

Women 46%Men 54%
14 : 1
students per teacher
32%
get Pell grants (lower income)
65%
take federal loans
0%
undergrads 25 or older
1%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Mount Vernon

25% of Mount Vernon’s 4,514 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Mount Vernon pages.

Mount Vernon →
Mount VernonMount Vernon, IA
$780/momedian rent · 20% below the state$353Ktypical home value12° / 84°January low / July high · 34" of snowAHealth GradeAll colleges in and near Mount VernonCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Cornell College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Kirkwood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Cedar Rapids
11.7 mi9,860 students
Coe CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Cedar Rapids
12.8 mi1,278 students
Mount Mercy UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Cedar Rapids
12.8 mi1,252 students
University of IowaUniversity or college · Public · Iowa City
19.1 mi26,980 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.