Cornell offers nearly 80 majors and more than 120 minors. For students whose interests don't fit neatly into a preexisting major, there’s even an opportunity to design an independent course of study or to double major. Each of the undergraduate colleges and schools at Cornell has its own academic opportunities and requirements.
Students are considered for selection into The Cornell Commitment programs as part of the admissions process. Separate applications to the programs are not required for incoming students.
The Cornell Tradition, Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars, and Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars programs constitute The Cornell Commitment. These programs recognize, reward, and support a select group of students who exemplify Cornell's commitment to academic excellence, work and service, inquiry and discovery, and leadership and learning.
Cornell students have access to a variety of programs and services to ease their transition to college and help them flourish. One such resource is the Tatkon Center for New Students, which offers study skills workshops, writing walk-in services, student mentors, and drop-in professional help with any problem, big or small. The Learning Strategies Center (LSC), the central academic support unit for undergraduates, is also a helpful resource.
Cornell University has a robust graduate school! Please visit the Cornell University Graduate School website to learn more.
Cornell University offers nearly 80 majors, and some of these majors are offered in two or more of our undergraduate colleges. The major requirements, faculty, and research opportunities will be the same regardless of which college you choose. However, the classes you take outside of your major and the non-major graduation requirements you'll need to fulfill will vary depending on your college.
As a world-renowned research university, Cornell is committed to providing undergraduate students with research opportunities. Research is conducted across all academic departments, including humanities and arts. Undergraduates will find both individual research opportunities and team projects; some begin research their first year at Cornell.
To learn more, please visit Experiential Learning.
In 1967-1968, New York State Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve pushed forward the principles of access to, and opportunities in, higher education for underrepresented students and put into place the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). EOP and HEOP support students whose financial and academic environments have not allowed their potential to come to fruition, giving students who have the ability for academic success, but who may have not met all of the requirements for regular admission, the chance to attend Cornell University.
Over 50 languages, both modern and ancient, are taught in classrooms at Cornell, and students can study another 50 or so in language labs on campus. In addition to the Romance languages, courses include: Bengali, Burmese, Finnish, Persian/Farsi, Sanskrit, Swahili, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Yoruba. With such a wide range of languages available through the College of Arts and Sciences Language Program, Cornell students have many options.
The Cornell curriculum is flexible, and students can fine-tune their schedules to have the educational experiences they are looking for. That said, each of the undergraduate colleges and schools has its own academic requirements. In addition, all first-year students participate in Cornell’s award-winning First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS) program. To learn more about these offerings, please visit the John S.
