Cornell University - College of Arts and Sciences

What Cornell University - College of Arts and Sciences does

The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest constituent college of Cornell University, a private Ivy League research university founded in 1865. It delivers a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences education to approximately 4,600 undergraduates across 42 majors and more than 2,000 courses (of Cornell's total 4,000 courses), spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary fields. The college also serves graduate students and postdoctoral scholars through programs such as the Klarman Fellowships, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and graduate research appointments.

The college's product portfolio centers on the undergraduate degree experience, anchored by the new interdisciplinary curriculum (approved October 30, 2018 and fully implemented Fall 2020) and enriched by specialized programs: the Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program for self-designed interdisciplinary majors, the Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity (bridging Ithaca liberal arts with the Cornell Tech NYC campus), the Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars, Nexus Scholars, Humanities Scholars, Posse Program, and Summer Experience Grants. Underlying the academic offering is a deep research infrastructure including laboratories, museums, libraries, performance spaces, archives, the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility, and stewardship of the arXiv preprint repository.

Revenue derives from tuition and fees from enrolled students, private donations and endowments (including the Campaign for Cornell University and named endowments), and federal and private research grants supporting faculty research and postdoctoral fellowships. Distribution runs through Cornell's centralized undergraduate admissions infrastructure supplemented by the A&S Ambassadors program, social media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter), the Cornell Chronicle earned-media apparatus, and partnerships with the Posse Foundation, Mellon Foundation, OADI, and Cornell Tech. The college maintains an alumni network of over 90,000 A&S graduates and employs a faculty including Nobel laureates, MacArthur Fellows, and scholars recently elected to the American Philosophical Society.

Name

Cornell University - College of Arts and Sciences

Legal name

Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences

Website

https://as.cornell.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The College of Arts & Sciences is Cornell University's largest constituent college, delivering interdisciplinary liberal arts and sciences education to approximately 4,600 undergraduates across 42 majors, supported by specialized research, fellowship, and scholarship programs and an alumni network exceeding 90,000.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Liberal Arts)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH), Interdisciplinary/Experimental Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAN), Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate research fellowships
• Interdisciplinary academic majors
• Faculty-led research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate student tuition and associated fees for enrollment in the College of Arts & Sciences
2. Private Donations and Endowments: Gifts from alumni, foundations, and donors supporting scholarships, programs, and endowed chairs; includes the Campaign for Cornell University and Lynne S. Abel College Scholar Endowment Fund
3. Research Grants: Federal and private research funding supporting faculty research, postdoctoral fellowships, and undergraduate research opportunities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University delivers undergraduate and graduate liberal arts education across 42 majors and more than 2,000 courses spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary fields. It serves approximately 4,600 students through traditional degree programs plus signature enrichment offerings such as the Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program, Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity, Nexus Scholars, Humanities Scholars, Klarman Fellowships, Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and the Posse Program, supported by world-class research facilities.

Product overview

Cornell University's College of Arts & Sciences offers a comprehensive liberal arts education through a portfolio of distinct academic programs and scholarly opportunities. The core academic structure includes 42 undergraduate majors and over 2,000 courses across diverse disciplines. Specialized programs include the Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program (customized interdisciplinary majors), Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity (combining Ithaca liberal arts with Cornell Tech curriculum), Nexus Scholars Program (undergraduate research), Klarman Fellowships (postdoctoral research), Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and Posse Program. Supporting programs include Summer Experience Grants, Humanities Scholars Program, Arts Unplugged series, and Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program. The college serves approximately 4,600 students with over 90,000 alumni in its network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program: An individualized interdisciplinary major program for stellar students whose interests transcend disciplinary boundaries
• Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity
• Humanities Scholars Program
• Nexus Scholars Program
• Klarman Fellowships
• Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
• Posse Program

Products and services

• Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program An individualized interdisciplinary major program enabling undergraduates to design a course of study not available in established majors, working with faculty advisors and completing an independent senior honors thesis.
• Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity An undergraduate enrichment program combining Cornell's liberal arts and sciences classes in Ithaca with a 21st-century tech curriculum at Cornell Tech in NYC, graduating tech-savvy leaders grounded in humanistic values.
• Nexus Scholars Program Provides undergraduate students with summer opportunities to work side by side with faculty across the college on research projects spanning humanities, social sciences, and STEM.
• Klarman Fellowships Premier postdoctoral fellowship offering opportunities for early-career scholars of outstanding talent to devote themselves to frontline, innovative research without being tied to specific outcomes.
• Summer Experience Grants Funding support for students covering living expenses, transportation, and travel to enable essential summer experiences including internships and research opportunities.
• Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars Program selecting ~50 highly motivated students per year and providing financially supported, faculty-mentored research opportunities throughout their undergraduate years across all areas of study.
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Fellowship committed to broadening scholarly perspectives in the US academy, focused on humanities and humanistic social sciences, providing mentoring and financial support for entry into PhD programs.
• Posse Program A student opportunities and youth leadership program that matches promising high school students with Cornell in multicultural cohorts of 10 students each from Chicago public schools.
• Humanities Scholars Program A signature learning, research and collaboration opportunity for undergraduate students across the university interested in the humanities.
• Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program Brings accomplished journalists to Cornell for extended visits to recognize excellence in journalism and provide engagement opportunities with the university community.
• Arts Unplugged Series Public engagement series bringing research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion, inviting broad audiences to explore work of scholars from all disciplines.
• Majors and Minors Portfolio Academic program offerings including 42 majors and over 2,000 courses, spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies, governed by distribution requirements implemented under the 2020 curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55% of RCPRS graduates go directly to graduate school (vs Cornell average of 34%)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Posse FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2012Cornell partnered with the Posse Foundation in September 2012, bringing first cohort of students to campus in Fall 2013. The partnership recruits diverse students from Chicago public schools in cohorts of 10, providing full-scholarship college access and youth leadership development. Alumni Barton and Susan Winokur (Class of 1961) were instrumental in bringing the program to Cornell.
• Cornell TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell Tech, located on Roosevelt Island in NYC, hosts the Milstein Program's 8-week immersive summer experience for A&S students. This collaboration combines Cornell's liberal arts curriculum in Ithaca with 21st-century technology education at Cornell Tech.
• NASAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty and students in Astronomy have played major roles in space exploration, including heavy involvement in NASA missions such as the Mars Rovers. Research on exoplanets and stellar phenomena often involves NASA missions.
• Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives (OADI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOADI partners with A&S to support Posse Program students and other diversity initiatives, including sponsoring visits for First Year Parents Weekend and providing support services for diverse student populations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yale College: The undergraduate college within Yale University offering a liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Comparable in selectivity, residential model, and breadth of majors to Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.
• Brown University - College of Arts and Sciences: Brown's constituent college for arts and sciences. Direct peer with similar open curriculum philosophy, interdisciplinary options, and Ivy League selectivity to Cornell A&S.
• Princeton University (Undergraduate College): Princeton's undergraduate program offers a residential liberal arts education with strong research focus. Directly comparable as another Ivy League institution emphasizing undergraduate teaching and faculty-mentored research.
• University of Pennsylvania - College of Arts and Sciences: Penn's liberal arts undergraduate college within an Ivy League research university. Comparable in offering humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences majors with strong research opportunities.
• Columbia College: Columbia University's undergraduate liberal arts college. A direct peer as another Ivy League institution serving a comparable selective student body with a core liberal arts curriculum.
• Dartmouth College: Ivy League institution with strong liberal arts undergraduate focus and broad arts and sciences offerings. Comparable in residential liberal arts model and selectivity, though smaller in scale than Cornell A&S.
• Harvard College: The undergraduate liberal arts college within Harvard University. Directly comparable as another Ivy League constituent college offering broad liberal arts and sciences education to a similar selective applicant pool.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford University - School of Humanities and Sciences: Stanford's largest school offering humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Comparable as an elite research university liberal arts school, though Stanford operates more broadly as a private research university rather than as a constituent college.

Emerging players

• Amherst College: Highly selective liberal arts college with strong arts and sciences focus. Comparable in academic rigor and selectivity, though Amherst is a standalone liberal arts college rather than a constituent college within a research university.
• Williams College: Top-ranked liberal arts college with broad arts and sciences curriculum and tutorial-style teaching. Comparable in educational philosophy and outcomes for undergraduates, though Williams is more narrowly focused than Cornell's comprehensive A&S.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CornellCAS
• Facebookfacebook.com/CornellCAS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornell-arts-and-sciences
• Instagraminstagram.com/cornellcas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cornell University - College of Arts and Sciences