Campaign Priority 1: Students
Extending "Any person…any study" to new generations
Students are vital members of Cornell’s intellectual community. They have the chance to work directly with preeminent scholars, conduct world-changing research, and give their time to the service of causes greater than themselves. To affirm and extend Cornell’s student-centered community, the university must increase its endowment and immediate-use funding for:
Scholarship aid—to renew "Any person...any study" and ensure that any qualified student can afford to study at Cornell without the burden of debt.
Graduate and professional fellowships for graduate and professional students—whose presence attracts top faculty, and whose research prepares them as the next generation of groundbreaking researchers, educators, and innovators.
Living-learning opportunities on North Campus and West Campus—where the Residential Initiative strengthens the connection between life inside and outside the classroom.
- Cornell is eliminating or reducing loans for students from families with incomes $75,000 or less.
- More than 60 percent of Cornell's undergraduates receive financial aid.
- Cornell's student body is more economically diverse than that of many of its peers.*
- To ensure that students graduate without heavy debt, Cornell expects to spend an additional $14 million annually for student aid.
*based on the number and percentage of Pell grant recipients