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.
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.
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.
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.
Cornell undergraduates can get to know their professors well with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1.
Attending Cornell as an undergraduate is a great option for students who are interested in going to law school. Although Cornell does not offer a pre-law major, law schools are looking for good minds: any major at Cornell can prepare students well for a legal career. Students planning to go to law school may study in any of Cornell's undergraduate colleges and schools.
Cornell offers a communication major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. For more information, please visit the Department of Communication.
Cornell is home to eight undergraduate colleges and schools offering 80 majors and more than 4,000 courses of study across 100 academic departments. The most popular majors change from one year to the next. Applicants are encouraged to explore each college/school with the goal of identifying the one that is the best fit for their academic interests and talents, rather than looking for what might be the most popular major at any given time. The Cornell selection committees evaluate the "match" between a candidate's interests and the college/school to which they apply.
Students who are interested in pursuing a health career find great opportunities at Cornell. In fact, nearly one out of every six Cornell undergraduates intends to pursue a career in medicine. Students may study in any of Cornell's undergraduate schools and colleges and graduate well prepared for further medical career studies and options. The resources available in the Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC) are accessible to all pre-Health students across the university.
Cornell undergraduates get to know their professors during their time on campus. In fact, 67% of Cornell classes have fewer than 30 students; 80% have fewer than 50, and only 19% of classes have 50 or more students enrolled. All first-year students take two writing seminars from Cornell's nationally recognized first-year writing program. These classes are capped at 17 students.
