Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. Ezra Cornell, an American philanthropist, and Andrew Dickson White, a historian and educator, co-founded the university in 1865. Since its establishment, Cornell University has operated as a co-educational and nonsectarian institution.
As of fall 2024, the university enrolled a diverse student body. It educated 16,128 undergraduate students and 10,665 graduate students. These students came from all 50 U.S. states and more than 130 countries. Cornell organizes its academics through eight undergraduate colleges and seven graduate divisions on its main Ithaca campus. Each college and division exercises significant autonomy over admissions standards and academic curricula.
In addition to its main campus, the university operates several satellite campuses. These include two campuses in New York City—the medical school and Cornell Tech. The university also runs a branch of its medical school in Al Rayyan, located in Education City, Qatar. The QS World University Rankings 2026 have placed the university at #16.