Cornell vs MIT

Studying at Ivy League University- Cornell or World’s top most university- MIT? Looking for what to opt for? Detailed below is a comparison of two universities' qualitative and quantitative aspects based on student reviews and the university’s official data.

Overview Comparison
Cornell UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Collegedunia Score7.9 Out of 109 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 12 US News 2024
# 13 QS World University 2024
# 20 Times Higher Education 2024
# 1 QS World University 2024
# 2 US News 2024
# 3 Times Higher Education 2024
Subject Strength# 13 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 10 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 13 for Law by US News 2024
# 1 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 4 for Medicine by QS World University 2023
ProgramsUG Programs -65
PG Programs -71
Doctorate Programs -78
UG Programs -48
PG Programs -41
Doctorate Programs -30
Acceptance Rate14.1 %8.5 %
Exam ScoreGMAT - 720
IELTS - 7.5
SAT - 1400
TOEFL - 100
GRE updated - 310
IELTS - 7
PTE - 65
SAT - 1510
TOEFL - 90
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   58586
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  29500
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 35291 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   57590
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  57590
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 24390 Per Year
placement (average package)

Cornell University is one of the top private universities in Ithaca, United States. It is ranked #20 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

Doctorate               $168,000 

Masters in Finance $150,000 

MBA                       $145,000 

Executive MBA       $139,000 

Masters in Science    $123,000 

PhD                            $120,000 


#1 Graduate employability QS rankings (2020)
#3 Graduate employability THE rankings
Over 55% UG and 82% PG students enter workforce. 
Average salaries offered to baccalaureates $85,000
Average salaries offer to masters graduates $112,000 
Top recruiters: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co. 


Campuses and B-SchoolsJohnson Graduate School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
CollegeDunia Reviews7.9/10 Read 8 reviews-
General Facts Comparison
General FactsCornell UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1865
1861
Student:Faculty Ratio10:1
3:1
Male:Female48% Male, 52% Female54% Male, 46% Female
Location Facts

University has 6 campuses; Main campus is located in Ithaca, New York; Other campuses are in Roosevelt Island, Qatar, Geneva, Washington DC and Rome


Lying between central and kendall squares across Charles River from Boston’s Back bay. Small instituition with close knit student body postioned to collaborate and contribute to neighbors


Library

11th largest library in USA; Over 8 million printed volumes, 1 million ebooks, 120,000 periodical titles, 8.5 million microfilms and microfiches, 71,000 cubic feet of manuscripts, 500,000 other materials such as motion pictures, sound recordings, etc. 


More than 5 million items, with over 21,000 MIT theses
478 online database
17,000 journals
55,000 electronic journals


Campus Life

Over 1,000 student organizations; awards and funding by Student and Campus Life (SCL) such as Cornell Commitment, Public Service Center, Cornell Career Services, Merrill Presidential Scholars Program, etc. 


Over 450 co-curricular organizations, Society for Women Engineers, LGTQ+ community, Black stuents union, 33 varsity sports, The Tech (student newspaper), The Byte (graduate student publication), religious organizations, around 43 sororities, fraternities and independent living groups.


Hostel#Triple Room - $10635
#Double Room - $11562
#Single Room - $13094
#Rooms - $10430
#Rooms - $8000
Famous Alumni

Tsai Ing-wen (first female president of Taiwan), David Starr Jordan (founding president of Stanford University), Ratan Tata (CEO of Tata Group), Toni Morrison (Nobel laureate), Junot Diaz (Pulitzer Prize winner)


85 Nobel laureates, 58 National Medal of Science Winners, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation Winners
Kofi Annan (Former secretary general of UN), Buzz Aldrin (former Apolo 11 astronaut & fighter pilot), Benjamin Netanyahu (Iraesli Prime Minister), Amar Gopal Bose (Owner of Bose), etc


City Life

New York was ranked 34th in USA for economic growth and contributes over 8% to GDP. Financial activities, professional & business services, transportation, trade & utilities are the top contributors. 


Cambridge- city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts; City is part of the Boston metropolitan area; home to a huge student community; Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 2.1% (Dec 2019)


Weather
Comparison Notes

Pursuing your higher education in USA from Cornell University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology adds great value to your resume. However, international students can compare the two universities as per the following criteria to make a decision. 

Why Study at MIT?

  • The cost of pursuing education at MIT is relatively lower than the cost of pursuing programs at Cornell. 
  • Pursuing a master's degree from MIT is considered more beneficial than Cornell as the graduate employability rankings of MIT are better.
  • The average alumni salaries offered to MIT students ($82,300) are roughly $20,000 more than Cornell University ($66,900).
  • Not only do the overall MIT Rankings outperform Cornell University, but many subject-rankings for MIT are better than Cornell. 
    • MBA program offered by MIT Sloan is ranked (#6) better that MBA at Cornell (#23) as per Financial Times Rankings. The weighted average salaries offered to MBA graduates from MIT is approximately 30,000 USD more than that of Cornell MBA graduates.
    • Engineering and Technology Programs at MIT are ranked #1 while Cornell’s engineering and technology programs are ranked #32. 
  • MIT is located in an urban setting receives an endowment of 17.4 billion USD. Cornell University, on the other hand, received an endowment of 7.3 billion USD.  

Why Study at Cornell University?

  • The acceptance rate for Cornell is higher and the scores required for exams to study in the USA is lower. This suggests that admissions to Cornell University are relatively easier.
  • Though Cornell University is located in a rural setting, the co-curricular activities offered are much more than MIT.
  • The city and campus life offered to Cornell students are more lively as the university is located in New York. The on-campus crime rate is slightly lower than MIT.
  •  The library collection of Cornell is larger than MIT.
  • The 4-year graduation rate of Cornell is 88% while MIT is 85%.
  • Cornell is relatively more popular for its Biology and related programs and agriculture-related programs.

Choosing between Cornell or MIT is mostly dependent on a students choice of program, but the chances of this decision inclining towards MIT is higher than Cornell University