Greetings from Cornell University! Our admission committees are deeply engaged in the reading of applications, and we continue to receive and process required admission application materials received from you and your students.

As part of Cornell’s commitment to our applicants, we will work closely with them and with you to complete applications so that we can make decisions. Important information and updates in the newsletter this month include: 1) Missing Application Materials, 2) Supplemental Materials, 3) Financial Aid, 4) Enrollment Deferrals, 5) Info for Prospective Students, and 6) Precollege Summer Program at Cornell.

In early February we began sending reminder emails to all students whose applications remained incomplete. We hope to receive and will continue to add any and all missing, required application materials to students’ files so that they can be reviewed. Students should continue to check their applicant portals to monitor their application status. Any applicant with an incomplete application, such that we cannot review the application, will be contacted in early March indicating next steps, up to and including our administratively withdrawing the incomplete application. 

The deadline for students to add supplemental materials and updates to their application was February 15th. We are no longer encouraging the submission of supplemental materials by students, as we are now well into our review of applications and we cannot guarantee that supplemental information received at this late date will be accessible before an application decision is made.

The Regular Decision international financial aid application deadline for international citizens has passed, and it is now too late to apply because we are need-aware in our review of admission applications for international citizens.

The Regular Decision financial aid application deadline for U.S. citizens/permanent residents and eligible non-citizens was February 15th.  U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens – undocumented students with and without DACA, refugees and asylees, and long-term green card applicants – who are admitted have until June 1 to initiate a financial aid application if they wish to be considered for institutional aid.

For students interested in deferring their enrollment for one or two years, Cornell University broadly supports the notion of a gap year experience for students between high school and college. Successful gap year experiences start with a well-developed plan and include personal goals. Students considering Cornell for their undergraduate education must first apply and gain admission before requesting an enrollment deferral to participate in a gap year experience. Admitted and enrolling students should submit their official request by returning to their Cornell application status page and completing the Deferral Request Form. We may want to discuss deferral and gap year plans before granting a request. Early Decision admitted students who wish to request a deferral must do so by March 1, and Regular Decision admitted students who have deposited and wish to request a deferral must do so by June 1. More detailed information can be found on our enrollment deferral website.

Just a few weeks ago, the Common Application released its 2022-2023 essay prompts for next year’s applicants. The prompts for next year remain unchanged from the current year and will be helpful as students begin their search processes in earnest and begin writing their admissions essays in the weeks and months ahead. On a related note, Cornell will release its own 2022-2023 college interest essay prompts by July, along with any other updates for fall 2023 applicants. In the meantime, your students can learn more about Cornell by taking part in one of our virtual Undergraduate Admissions Information Sessions offered on select Mondays in February and March. On-demand online and virtual content is also available via our Virtual Visit website, including student blogs; university, college and school information sessions; admissions requirements; information on all of our undergraduate majors; news, important updates, and so much more. We anticipate the start of in-person admission information sessions and campus tours in March. In the meantime, while admission information sessions and campus tours are unavailable, students and families are encouraged to watch a Cornell University Livestream General Campus Tour, hosted live by current undergraduate student tour guides and/or view our prerecorded Virtual General Campus Tour.

And be sure to tell your students about our highly regarded Precollege Summer Program which engages motivated high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from around the world for two, three- and six-week courses. Courses are offered online and on campus. Students can earn college credits, learn from Cornell faculty, attend admissions workshops, connect with other students from around the US and the world, and get an early taste of college life.

We thank you for your partnership and support during this busy time of year and invite you to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Cornell University