Cornell University

Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York, with additional campuses in New York City and Doha, Qatar. Founded in 1865 as New York State’s land-grant institution, Cornell combines private endowment with a public mission. It offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across colleges and schools that include arts and sciences, engineering, agriculture and life sciences, business, architecture, and hotel administration. Cornell is known for its emphasis on both liberal and practical education, interdisciplinary study, and research. Students are often drawn to Cornell University for its diverse academic offerings, campus setting in the Finger Lakes region, and its blend of public engagement and private university structure.

Cornell University was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White in Ithaca, New York. Established as New York’s land-grant institution under the Morrill Act, Cornell University was created to provide instruction in agriculture and the mechanical arts alongside a broad liberal education. The university opened its doors in 1868, with Andrew Dickson White serving as its first president. From its early years, Cornell University admitted students regardless of religion and later became coeducational in 1870. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it expanded its professional schools, research facilities, and graduate programs. In the twentieth century, Cornell developed additional campuses, including Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Over time, Cornell University grew into a major research institution while maintaining its founding commitment to accessible, practical, and comprehensive education.