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HOW TO APPLY Cornell Faces Cornell Campus

First-Year Students: Application Instructions

Before starting your application to Cornell, please be sure to read through the complete Freshman Application Instructions. It will be very important to note the college-specific admission requirements (see Freshman Admission Requirements Grid and the Admission and Financial Aid Timetable and Mailing Instructions). Once you have read these materials, you are ready to begin your application to Cornell. Here is the basic information that you will need:

The Common Application

Submitting the online Common Application and the $70 application fee or fee waiver begins the admission process and should be done as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing your application. Cornell receives applications from more than 30,000 prospective students each fall. As our January 1 regular-decision application deadline approaches, it can take us 2-3 weeks to process each new application and send it to committee for review.

Application Fee/Fee Waiver

Cornell’s application fee is $70, and you are required to submit it with your online Common Application. Please note that we cannot process your application without the fee or fee waiver. You can apply for an application fee waiver by (1) sending in the College Board Fee Waiver form or (2) submitting a letter from a guidance counselor or representative of a social service/community agency stating that the fee would cause financial hardship. If you cannot apply for a waiver by one of these methods, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office (607 255-5241) for further information. To request a fee waiver when submitting the online Common Application, check the fee waiver box on the payment page and mail your fee waiver request to: Undergraduate Admissions Office, Cornell University, P.O. Box 526, Ithaca, NY 14851-0516.

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The Cornell University Supplement

Submitting the online Cornell University Supplement is required as it provides us with essential information about your academic interests. The admissions staff carefully reads and evaluates your response to the college interest essay. The information you provide helps us determine how good a match exists between your intellectual goals and the Cornell college(s) or school(s) to which you are applying. Be sure to include your name, home address, and date of birth on all documents that you attach to the online Supplement. If you are planning to utilize the primary/alternate admission option, you must complete a college interest essay for both your primary- and alternate-choice colleges.

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Teacher Recommendations

Two teacher recommendations are required and the forms for these can be downloaded and printed at www.commonapp.org. Please be sure to remind individuals writing letters for you to include your name and date of birth on all pages. Recommendation letters should be sent to the Application Processing Center, East Hill Plaza, 349 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-2899.

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The Secondary School Report

The Secondary School Report is a required part of the Cornell application. Your guidance counselor or designated school official should submit this form or the school’s own form along with your official high school transcript. We cannot review your application without both the Secondary School Report and your transcript. Please note that standardized test scores that appear on your transcript are not considered official; official scores must be submitted to us directly from the testing agency. The Secondary School Report form can be downloaded and printed at www.commonapp.org. The completed Secondary School Report, your high school transcript(s), and official copies of required standardized test scores should be sent to the Application Processing Center, East Hill Plaza, 349 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-2899.

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The Midyear Report

The Midyear Report form should be submitted as soon after January 1 as possible. We understand that students whose schools are on trimesters may not submit this form or have any new grade information to provide at the time of submission. The Midyear Report form can be downloaded and printed at www.commonapp.org. Completed Midyear Reports should be sent to the Application Processing Center, East Hill Plaza, 349 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-2899.

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Supplemental Music Submissions

Before submitting supplemental music tapes and CDs for evaluation by the music department at Cornell, please review the submission criteria and instructions for labeling and mailing. Supplemental music materials should be submitted by November 1 for early decision and by January 1 for regular decision.

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Helpful Application Tips

  • Give yourself enough time before the deadline to complete both the online Common Application and online Cornell Supplement.
  • Give forms to your teachers and guidance counselor at least one month before the application deadline.
  • Pages can get separated, so include your full name and date of birth on every page.
  • For grouping of multiple pages for mailing, use of paperclips is recommended – do not use staples.
  • If applying early decision, please write “early decision” on your mailing envelopes.
  • Set up your online application status account by following the instructions you receive after submitting your online Common Application.