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Direct to Cornell scholarship: $37,000 - $40,000 per year
We're offering guaranteed scholarships for fall 2026 to first-year students attending Cornell College from Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nevada.
The goal of our Direct to Cornell scholarship is to ensure a private college experience is accessible to as many students as possible. Without a lot of experience in how college systems and financial assistance programs work, many families don't realize that a private college experience is within their reach financially.
For students who thrive on personal attention, focused learning, and flexibility, a small private college might be where you will find the most personal success in completing your degree, discovering leadership opportunities, and building a lifelong network of friends and future colleagues. Your success is important to us, so we want to make sure that your best college experience is within reach for you.
Your first week on a campus of tens of thousands of students can be overwhelming. Cornell's first-year experience is dedicated to you, surrounding you with a support team of faculty and peers dedicated to your success. One Course At A Time is a method of learning that builds immediate connections—you get to know your classmates, which our students have termed “block friends,” right away because you’re in a class with no more than 24 other students for three and half weeks. In every class, you'll find that your professor will know your name, and engages with you, by the end of your first day of class. (This happens in every class you take here.)
Who is eligible for the Direct to Cornell scholarship?
Residents of Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nevada who are admitted to Cornell and attending college as a full-time residential student for the first time.
That’s it. Permanent residence in one of those locations qualifies you for the scholarship once you're successfully admitted to Cornell.
- Full-time status means that you attend at least three blocks (of four offered) every semester.
- Residential means that you will be required to live and dine on campus.
- First-year means that you are in your first year of college and not transferring from another college to Cornell. If you have taken college credit while in high school, you still qualify for the scholarship.
How do costs compare between Cornell and your flagship state school?
Here’s how attending Cornell College compares to other institutions.
As a qualifying student, you will be awarded Cornell’s Freeway Scholarship upon admission, no other paperwork or testing is required. First-year student scholarships will be a minimum of $37,000. It is possible for high-achieving scholars and students engaging in the fine arts or esports to qualify for more than $37,000 in scholarships.
How do we get to our 2025-2026 Cost of Attendance? Here's the cost of attendance breakdown.
| Cornell College | University of IL | University of MN | Colorado State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of attendance | $71,766 | $36,930 | $36,498 | $35,722 |
| Cornell's Freeway Scholarship | $37,000 | - | - | - |
| Your Cost | $34,766 | $36,930 | $36,498 | $35,722 |
We're using 2025-2026 academic year data because most colleges won't determine the costs for 2026-2027 until late fall or winter of 2025.
This puts an education at Cornell less than or comparable to the cost of these three flagships when you're awarded a Direct to Cornell scholarship.
Living at Cornell also offers you the safety of a residential campus where your two-person room is within easy walking distance of class, athletics, and social activities. The average daily commute to class? About 5 minutes.
Your final financial aid award package will vary based on your individual need and circumstances. Our financial aid counselors are here to help you with any questions you might have about your financial aid summary.