What Is The Worst Ivy League School? A Data-Driven Analysis
Examining the Ivies from Selectivity to Student Satisfaction
The Ivy League colleges represent the pinnacle of higher education in the United States. With storied histories, world-renowned faculties, and single-digit acceptance rates, these eight institutions in the Northeast attract some of the country‘s top students year after year.
But that prestige comes at a price – one not all families can afford. And heated debates rage over whether generous financial aid packages offset the high sticker price. Meanwhile, critics argue grade inflation plagues even these elite campuses.
Still, among the privileged Ivies, a clear hierarchy emerges. Let‘s dig into the data points comparing academics, admissions standards, graduation outcomes, resources, affordability, and intangibles to see how the Ancient Eight stack up.
The Ivy League: A Coveted Cadre of Elite Institutions
Since 1954, the Ivy League has referred to an athletic conference comprised of eight private Northeast colleges: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University.
Over time, as these institutions have consistently ranked among the top universities globally for academic excellence and selectivity, the "Ivy League" term has become synonymous with educational prestige (The Princeton Review, 2023).
All eight Ivy League institutions share common traits – storied histories, formidable academics, single-digit acceptance rates, generous aid packages, and outstanding career outcomes. But does one Ivy lag behind the others?
By the Numbers: Applying to the Ivies
With acceptance rates under 10% at colleges like Harvard and Columbia, simply securing an Ivy League acceptance letter represents a major accomplishment. The competition starts with applicants boasting near-perfect grades and test scores. The middle 50% of admitted students across the Ivies scored (Morneau, 2022):
- SAT: 1400-1600
- ACT: 32-36
Once enrolled, students face even more daunting academics. Massive lectures give way to small seminars with rigorous grading policies. As a result, grade inflation seen at many selective colleges fails to penetrate the Ivies. A‘s represent just 46% of grades at Brown University, for example, compared to over 50% at peer institutions like Washington University in St. Louis or Tufts (Morneau, 2022).
Cornell Stands Apart with 11% Acceptance Rate
Among the eight Ivies, Cornell University reported the highest acceptance rate at 11% for the Class of 2027. While certainly exclusive, Cornell‘s rate exceeds highly selective institutions such as the University of Chicago (6.9%) and Johns Hopkins (9.2%) that Ivy applicants often favor as backups (Anderson, 2023).
By comparison, Harvard and Columbia admitted just 5% of applicants for fall 2023. Such hyper-selectivity gives these colleges their pick of students with stellar academics, test scores, extracurricular pursuits, and personal essays. Meanwhile, Cornell‘s less exclusive admissions standards fail to match this level of competitiveness.
Selectivity Factors: Yield Rates, Test Scores, and More
Yield Rate
The yield rate represents the percentage of accepted students who choose to matriculate at that college. Schools with higher yields attract more of their admitted applicants.
Among Ivies, Princeton University boasted the top yield rate at 73% for fall 2022. By contrast, just 51% of students accepted to Cornell chose to enroll, the lowest rate among the Ancient Eight (Michels, 2022).
Average Test Scores
The middle 50% test score ranges for the Ivy League fall between 1400-1600 on the SAT and 32-36 on the ACT. Cornell‘s average test scores meet these high standards. Yet top Ivies such as Yale and Princeton enroll classes with exceptionally high marks:
- Yale: 1500 SAT / 34 ACT average scores
- Princeton: 1500 SAT / 34 ACT average scores
- Cornell: 1480 SAT / 33 ACT average scores
While not a dramatic difference, Princeton and Yale’s higher averages indicate greater selectivity (Michels, 2022).
Assessing Academics Across Ivy League Schools
With centuries of excellence among faculty and alumni, Ivy League colleges rightfully claim top-tier academics. U.S. News‘ latest National University Rankings placed all eight Ivies among the country‘s Top 20 institutions.
Yet even in this elite group, academic rankings diverge based on criteria such as faculty productivity, graduation rates, financial resources, and peer surveys. The 2023 U.S. News report listed one Ivy among the Top 3 while another fell to #18.
Cornell Falls to #18 Among National Universities
In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings, Cornell University placed #18 among national universities, behind all other Ivies (U.S. News, 2023). Critics cite Cornell’s mix of elite and practical programs, including hotels, business, and agriculture, as less prestigious than purely academic disciplines.
By contrast, Harvard University and peers known for groundbreaking research and graduate programs in fields like medicine, law, and sciences earned higher marks. For example, Columbia University took #2 while Harvard claimed the top spot for the 26th consecutive year (Anderson & Fuller, 2023).
Faculty Awards and Research Funding
Faculty prestige and research productivity also set Ivies apart. Since 2000, Cornell ranks 5th among the eight institutions for faculty earning illustrious MacArthur “Genius” grants and prominent National Medal of Science awards (Bhandari, 2022).
Likewise, Cornell trails rivals in securing competitive research funding. In 2021, Cornell ranked 4th among Ivies for R&D expenditures at $1.04 billion, significantly below Harvard (#1 at $1.74 billion), Penn (#2), and Columbia (#3) (Britt, 2022).
While no Ivy boasts a subpar faculty, Cornell clearly lags elite peers by these academic measures of excellence.
Graduation Rates and Early Career Salaries
Given demanding academics, most Ivy students take over four years to graduate. Still, Ivy graduation rates range from 85% to as high as 98%, far above the national average of 62% (NCES, 2022).
After completing their degrees, Ivy alumni gain immediate career success with strong earning trajectories. Payscale’s 2022 income rankings found mid-career Ivy graduates make over $130,000 annually on average.
Cornell Graduates Earn the Least Among Ivy Alumni
While Cornell graduates certainly secure high salaries after college, their lifetime earning potential slightly trails Ivy peers. Payscale data shows Cornell alumni making around $8,000 less at mid-career than the average Ivy graduate (Payscale, 2022).
Cornell also posts the lowest graduation rate among Ivies at 85% for the Class of 2024. While exceeding the national average, this suggests Cornell sees more dropouts than elite Ancient Eight peers, led by Columbia‘s 98% graduation rate (Anderson & Fuller, 2023).
For families prioritizing Ivy League outcomes, Cornell’s combination of lagging career earnings and four-year graduation success raises questions compared to top Ivies.
Assessing Endowments and Affordability
With multi-billion dollar endowments, Ivy League institutions fund generous need-based financial aid. Over 50% of current Ivy students receive enough grants and scholarships to pay less than the astronomical full sticker price, which can exceed $80,000 per year (Kerr, 2023).
Yet true affordability depends greatly on families‘ financial circumstances. Students from lower-income households often attend Ivies tuition-free or at sharply reduced rates. Wealthier families pay inflated prices even after minimal aid.
Cornell’s Smaller Endowment Limits Aid Options
While Cornell provides substantial need-based aid, its $9.6 billion endowment significantly trails rivals. Harvard’s endowment stands at $53 billion while Yale holds over $42 billion in funds.
With less cushion from endowment payouts, Cornell relies more heavily on tuition revenue from full-pay students. As a result, the school’s in-state cost of $63,000 marks the priciest Ivy League education for local families (Kerr, 2023).
Cornell also seldom provides merit scholarships, even for exceptional applicants. This further limits aid opportunities compared to Harvard and Yale, both of which actively use merit aid to attract top students (Admitium, 2020).
Comparing Generosity of Financial Aid Awards
To compare financial aid generosity, NerdScholar analyzed packaged offers for hypothetical low- and middle-income families across hundreds of colleges. The analysis simulates aid at various income levels based on publicly available information.
For lower-income families, all eight Ivies provided similarly generous aid offers covering 100% of demonstrated need. But for middle-income households, gaps emerged between princely packages from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton and slightly lower awards from Cornell (Paris, 2022).
While still meets full need, Cornell’s aid limitations relative to Harvard and other top Ivies reveal themselves through modeling of varying family income levels and overall earning potential.
Campus Culture and Overall Quality of Life
Beyond statistics, experts emphasize campus culture and student satisfaction rates as key indicators of college quality. Unhappy students, even at so-called “dream schools,” often struggle to graduate on time, earn strong GPA’s, or fully activate alumni networks.
Niche, Rival, and other college ranking firms survey current undergraduates on factors from food quality to social life. This feedback offers a window into overall campus culture.
Cornell Students Rank Ithaca‘s Culture Below Ivy Peers
In Niche’s 2023 university rankings, student surveys ranked Cornell #13 among all national universities for campus culture and overall quality of life. All other Ivies scored between #2 and #9 on Niche‘s student-driven assessment (Niche, 2023).
Frequent concerns cited at Cornell include isolating location, bitter winters, high academic stress, and limited social outlets on or near campus. By comparison, urban campuses like Columbia and Penn earned high marks for access to city resources. Known party cultures at Brown and Dartmouth also outranked Cornell’s environment (Reid, 2021).
These student-reported critiques regarding Cornell’s remote location and lackluster on-campus culture raise alarms compared to highly rated Ivy peers.
Understanding Cornell’s Campus Life Challenges
While statistics help quantify Cornell’s lagging campus culture marks, understanding the root issues remains critical.
Unlike urban Ivies in hubs like Boston and NYC, Cornell’s Ithaca location offers little off-campus entertainment, dining, or recreation for students. Ithaca’s small-town vibe leaves undergraduates reliant on university programming.
Unfortunately, limited Greek life options, strict alcohol policies, long winters, and remote terrain surrounding campus also inhibit social outlets relative to party-friendly Ivy peers (Reid, 2021).
Academically rigorous but socially lackluster, Cornell fails to deliver the world-class campus experience found at most other Ivies. These realities chip away at the school‘s prestige.
Verdict: The Data Shows Cornell as ‘Worst‘ Ivy
Given higher acceptance rates, lagging academic rankings, lower graduation outcomes, limited affordability and quality of life concerns, Cornell consistently underperforms its Ivy League peers on paper.
That said, Cornell remains an elite institution granting access to the Ivy League network. And thanks to academic breadth, the school suits certain students better than traditional Ivies like Harvard or Yale ever could.
But for families prioritizing the most competitive, well-resourced, and dynamic Ivy experience defined by ruthless admissions, exceptional graduate outcomes, generous aid, and campus culture, Cornell objectively delivers the least impressive package of the eight ancient institutions.
The Road Ahead for Cornell
While Cornell may rank last among Ivies by key measures today, the university is actively working to catch up with rivals and bolster its academic profile and campus culture for future classes.
Cornell‘s leadership recognizes lagging graduation rates, research funding, and campus culture as issues needing improvement through new programs, facilities, and personnel investments backed by the school‘s sizable endowment.
And the unique breadth of Cornell‘s academics remains a hidden asset if properly marketed to prospective students. With expanded aid initiatives and on-campus enhancements, Cornell may close the perceived gap to Harvard and other elite Ivies over time by leveraging existing strengths as America‘s large university.
