Quad

Head-to-head

Northeastern
Cornell

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Cornell grads earn $11.5K more ten years out than Northeastern's ($104,043 vs. $92,538)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Northeastern costs about $7K less per year on average than Cornell ($51,270 vs. $58,255, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Cornell's yield is 9 pts higher than Northeastern's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Northeastern is 1.6× more selective than Cornell

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Cornell has 6 pts more Pell recipients than Northeastern (18% vs. 12%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Northeastern's grants cover 39% of its full price on average, vs. 34% at Cornell

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Northeastern admits 5.2%, Cornell 8.4%; Cornell's yield is higher, at 63%.

Acceptance rate
Northeastern5.2%
Cornell8.4%
Quad's selectivity
  • NortheasternUltra selective
  • CornellUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Northeastern
1440–1540
Cornell
1490–1550
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • NortheasternRigor, GPA, and tests very important95%
  • CornellRigor very important

Who's on each campus

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

Undergrads
Northeastern17.3K
Cornell16K
Pell Grant share
Northeastern12%
Cornell18%

Majors and faculty

Business/Commerce leads at Northeastern, and Computer Science at Cornell; Cornell has 9 students per faculty member to Northeastern's 16.

Students per faculty member
Northeastern16 to 1
Cornell9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • NortheasternBusiness/Commerce, General18%
  • CornellComputer Science12%

What each costs

Northeastern costs about $7K less a year than Cornell on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northeastern$51.3K
Cornell$58.3K
Aid generosity
Northeastern39%
Cornell34%

What each pays off

Cornell's former students earn more, a median $104K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northeastern$92.5K
Cornell$104K
Graduation rate
Northeastern91%
Cornell96%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • NortheasternGrowing+98%
  • CornellGrowing+46%
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;Northeastern University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;Northeastern University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;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 2018;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 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