Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Cornell grads earn $11.5K more ten years out than Northeastern's ($104,043 vs. $92,538)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Cornell graduates 5 pts more of its students than Northeastern (96% vs. 91%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Northeastern$92.5K
Cornell$104KHighest
Graduation rate
Northeastern91%
Cornell96%Highest
Retention rate
Northeastern97%
Cornell98%Highest
Borrowing
Median debt
Northeastern$24.3K
Cornell$14KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Northeastern27%
Cornell18%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Northeastern$23K
Cornell$10KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Northeastern40%
Cornell90%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Northeastern91%
Cornell96%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Northeastern5%
Cornell3%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Northeastern90%
Cornell89%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Northeastern90%
Cornell96%
Pell graduation gap
NortheasternNo gap
Cornell7 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Northeastern | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| White | 91% | 96% |
| Asian | 94% | 98% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 88% | 94% |
| Black | 88% | 91% |
| Two or more races | 89% | 91% |
| International | 88% | 96% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Northeastern | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 78% |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 88% |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 86% |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 86% |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 95% |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 93% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Cornell University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Cornell University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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