Key differences on Getting in

1
Cornell's yield is 23 pts higher than U. Southern California's
Yield rate
2
Cornell admits 8.4% vs. 11% at U. Southern California
Acceptance rate
3
Cornell's SAT midpoint is 30 points higher than U. Southern California's
SAT midpoint

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Southern California11%

Cornell8.4%Most selective

Applicants

U. Southern California83.5KMost

Cornell72.5K

Admitted

U. Southern California9.3KMost

Cornell6.1K

Yield rate

U. Southern California40%

Cornell63%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective
CornellUltra selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Southern California9.1%

Cornell9.8%

Men admitted

U. Southern California11%

Cornell7.8%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Southern California

1470–1540

Cornell

1490–1550

Axis runs 1400–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Southern California

32–35

Cornell

33–35

Axis runs 28–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Southern California33%

Cornell43%

Submitted ACT

U. Southern California12%

Cornell13%

Test policy

U. Southern CaliforniaTest-optional
CornellTest scores required

How they read a record

U. Southern California
and GPA are both very important; tests are considered. 80% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.
Cornell
is very important; GPA and class rank are both important; tests are considered.

What they look at

Factor	U. Southern California	Cornell
High school GPA	Very important	Important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Not considered	Important
College-prep program	Required	Considered
Recommendations	Very important	Very important
Essay	Very important	Very important
Legacy status	Considered	Considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Required	Considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of Southern California (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;Cornell University Common Data Set, 2025-26;Cornell University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Cornell University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Cornell University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why