Board of Trustees approves 2026-27 budget parameters

The Cornell Board of Trustees has approved parameters for the university's 2026-27 budget, including undergraduate tuition, housing and dining rates for the coming academic year.

For students who do not receive financial aid, tuition will rise between $1,806 and $2,680 due to inflationary pressures that have increased Cornell's operating expenses.

Most aided students whose family circumstances remain constant will see no increase to their cost of attendance next year, thanks to offsets from Cornell grants. Nearly 50% of all undergraduate students receive Cornell financial aid grants, which do not need to be repaid.

With more than 16,000 undergraduates, Cornell educates and aids more students than any Ivy League institution and many private university peers. Undergraduates from families earning up to $125,000, with typical assets, receive grant and scholarship aid that covers tuition. Students from families earning up to $75,000 receive grants, scholarships and work-study that cover the full cost of attendance.

"Cornell is deeply committed to making a college education accessible for exceptional students from the widest range of backgrounds and perspectives," said President Michael I. Kotlikoff. "We continue to prioritize fundraising for financial aid to uphold our founding values of 'any person …any study.'"

Like other universities, Cornell has seen operating expenses increase over the past several years due to inflation and increasing fixed costs such as salaries, benefits, utilities and building maintenance. In an effort to control costs, the university has embarked on Resilient Cornell, an initiative that is reimagining operations with the aim of reducing spending and improving efficiencies across campuses.

"Guided by data, expertise and community input, we are working strategically to build a stronger, more resilient future for Cornell," said Provost Kavita Bala. "Our goal is ensuring that we can reduce pressure on tuition increases and weather future disruptions in a way that does not disrupt our core academic functions or our mission, and preserves our 160-year tradition of excellence."

For 2026-27, undergraduate tuition will be $73,946, a 3.76% increase, for out-of-state residents attending any of Cornell's colleges and New York state residents attending the endowed colleges: the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Cornell Bowers School of Computing and Information Science, the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering.

Undergraduate tuition will be $49,816, a 3.76% increase, for New York state residents attending state contract colleges: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Human Ecology and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Average undergraduate housing and dining costs will be $21,348, a 3.76% increase reflecting rising costs for food, utilities and employee wages.

Tuition for master's, doctoral and professional degrees will rise between zero and 4.5%.