Brooks School of Public Policy

The Brooks School looks for academically strong transfer applicants who have demonstrated genuine interest in the fields of public policy or health care policy through coursework, extracurricular activities, and other application materials. To prepare for the Brooks School’s curriculum, students are encouraged to take a mix of social science coursework and a breadth of quantitative and writing-intensive coursework.

DC Start is a distinctive residential academic experience offered to first year Brooks School undergraduate students in their fall semester. Housed at the Brooks School’s Wolpe Center in close walking distance to Dupont Circle in Washington D.C., the program offers an inspiring, immersive public policy learning experience to public policy and health care policy majors each fall. For more information on DC Start, you can visit the DC Start landing page.

Colleen Barry, the inaugural dean of the Brooks School, described Cornell’s newest undergraduate school this way: “The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy brings together scholars across disciplines to tackle the biggest public policy challenges we face as a society, both in the U.S. and globally. Our mission is to make positive change in the world.”

The Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy is a hybrid academic unit that partners with contract and endowed colleges to offer undergraduate programs. New York State residents enrolled in Bachelor of Science programs in the Brooks School receive the New York State resident contract college tuition rate. More information about tuition rates and expenses can be found on the Cornell financial aid website.

The Brooks School looks for academically strong first-year applicants who have demonstrated genuine interest in the field of public policy or health care policy through coursework, extracurricular activities, and other application materials. To prepare for the Brooks School’s curriculum, students are encouraged to take a rigorous mix of social science coursework and a breadth of quantitative and writing-intensive coursework.

Public policy touches all areas of life, from health care to education, transportation, employment, and everything in between. Thus, the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy’s undergraduate training provides valuable skill sets for a multitude of careers. While some graduates seek employment across government or industry directly after graduation, others pursue graduate or professional school, either immediately or a few years after the Brooks School.