Quad

Head-to-head

Cornell
Marian

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Marian has 19 pts more first-gen students than Cornell (39% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    Cornell's grants cover 62% of its full price on average, vs. 47% at Marian

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Cornell graduates 7 pts more of its students than Marian (64% vs. 58%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Marian is more diverse (index 0.54 vs. 0.51)

    Diversity index
  5. 5

    Marian's yield is 4 pts higher than Cornell's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Marian costs about $1.1K less per year on average than Cornell ($24,148 vs. $25,260, all students)

    Average cost, all students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Marian admits 75%, Cornell 80%; Marian's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
Cornell80%
Marian75%
Quad's selectivity
  • CornellAccessible
  • MarianAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
Cornell
1120–1285
MarianNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • CornellGPA required
  • MarianGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Cornell and Marian are about the same size; Marian has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Cornell1.1K
Marian1K
Pell Grant share
Cornell32%
Marian33%

Majors and faculty

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology leads at Cornell, and Business Administration and Management at Marian; Marian has 11 students per faculty member to Cornell's 14.

Students per faculty member
Cornell14 to 1
Marian11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • CornellBiochemistry and Molecular Biology12%
  • MarianBusiness Administration and Management, General12%

What each costs

Marian costs about $1.1K less a year than Cornell on average; Cornell's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Cornell$25.3K
Marian$24.1K
Aid generosity
Cornell62%
Marian47%

What each pays off

Former students earn about the same at both, a median $53.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Cornell$53.5K
Marian$53.5K
Graduation rate
Cornell64%
Marian58%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Cornell got less selective while Marian held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • CornellGrowing+32%
  • MarianGrowing+37%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About 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