Cornell has withheld the number of applicants for Class of 2028 for the time being, only announcing the number of admitted applicants.

While the full numbers haven’t been released, the application numbers and acceptance rates for both regular and early decision admissions have seen noticeable trends in recent years, indicating the increasing competitiveness of Cornell’s admissions process.

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Cornell’s Class of 2028 Acceptance Rate

Cornell University announced that it admitted 5,139 students to the class of 2028, a 4% increase from last year’s 4,994.

The university did not reveal how many total applications it received, how many of the admitted students were Early Decision applicants, or its acceptance rate as of yet.

With that said, the university has announced it’s admission numbers for the previous 4 years.

The acceptance rate at Cornell has declined from around 10% for Class of 2024 to about 7% last year.

This year, based on the similar number of accepted students and the general rise of number of applicants to Ivy League schools, it’s reasonable to estimate that the acceptance rate will be either similar to slightly lower than last year’s acceptance rate.

At this stage, this is still unconfirmed. We’ll keep an eye out for the full numbers once they’re released

Class of 2028 Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

Cornell’s regular decision acceptance rate has declined from 8.74% for Class of 2024 to 5.7% for Class of 2027. For the past three years, it hovered between 5% - 7%.

Cornell hasn’t released its regular decision acceptance rate for Class of 2028 yet, but the number of admitted students through RD has been consistently between 3,000-4,000 over the past year 4 years.

Assuming the number of admitted students remains within this range, we can estimate that the acceptance rate for Class of 2028 will be similar to last year’s, if perhaps slightly lower due to the general increase in applications to Ivy League schools.

Class of 2028 Early Decision Acceptance Rate

Cornell’s Early Decision acceptance rate has consistently declined every year over the past 5 years.

While the number of ED applicants remained relatively consistent for the past 3 years, the number of accepted students through Early Decision decreased over that same period, resulting in a gradually decreasing acceptance rate.

As the number of admitted students is slightly higher this year than last year’s, we can estimate that the number of accepted ED students is either the same, or potentially slightly higher, breaking the trend of the continuously decreasing acceptance rate.

What Kind of Student Gets into Cornell?

It's clear that to gain admission to Cornell, students need to present a truly exceptional profile that extends beyond standardized test scores and academic records.

How Crimson Can Help You Stand Out

Cornell’s decreasing acceptance rates and the broader trends in elite admissions highlight how challenging it has become to gain entry into top universities. In this highly competitive landscape, seeking guidance from experienced college admissions advisors can be a significant advantage. Advisors offer personalized support throughout the complex application process, helping you:

• Craft a Compelling Narrative: They work with you to identify your unique strengths, passions, and experiences. This helps shape a cohesive application that showcases your potential to contribute to the Cornell community.
• Navigate Strategic Choices: Advisors can provide insights on application timing (early vs. regular), test score submission, and highlight areas where you can further boost your profile.
• Excel in Every Aspect: From essay coaching to interview preparation, advisors ensure each application component is polished and demonstrates your preparedness for Cornell’s rigorous academic environment.

Proven Success in a Competitive Landscape

Crimson Education has a track record of helping students achieve their admissions goals. Our personalized approach and expertise in selective admissions have led to impressive results. This year alone, over 200 Crimson students were accepted to top US universities in the early round. Here's a breakdown of our early-round numbers:

• 126 offers to the Ivy League.
• 280+ offers to the US Top 20, including offers to Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, and University of Notre Dame.
• 15% of Ivy League and 27% of top 20 early round applicants received offers to their dream schools.
• 1280+ offers to the US Top 50, including offers to NYU, University of Michigan, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, University of Virginia, and Washington University in St. Louis.
• 1000+ offers to each student’s first choice school.