Cornell University Graduate School

What Cornell University Graduate School does

Graduate School is Cornell University’s academic and administrative unit for graduate education and research degrees. It serves 10,423 graduate and professional students across master’s, PhD, MD, JD, business, engineering, and executive programs, with delivery spanning Ithaca, New York City, and other Cornell locations. Its principal constituency is prospective and enrolled graduate and professional students, while research funders, patients, startups, New York communities, and institutional partners are additional served or funded constituencies.

Its research and education base includes more than 200 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and programs. Specialized infrastructure includes the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source for X-ray research, Cornell Tech for digital technology and entrepreneurship, and the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health; these facilities support work across materials science, biology, physics, agriculture, health, and sustainability. The unit’s underlying outputs are degree programs, research capacity, clinical and extension services, and technology-transfer activity rather than disclosed commercial software products.

Revenue and funding channels include tuition and fees, research grants and contracts, philanthropy and endowments, healthcare services, and technology-transfer or extension-related activity. Cornell reports $1.61B invested in research in FY24 and $461M in undergraduate grant aid for FY26; the latter indicates broader institutional subsidization rather than Graduate School revenue. Recruitment is application- and event-driven, using online applications, field-specific requirements, admissions events, campus delivery, and online and distance learning; graduate tuition varies by program, and detailed pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Cornell University Graduate School

Legal name

Cornell University

Website

https://cornell.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cornell University Graduate School administers graduate and professional education and research degree programs across Cornell’s colleges, serving 10,423 master’s, doctoral, medical, law, business, engineering, and executive students through campus-based and online delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business & Management Research Universities (EDAHABAE)

Keywords

• Graduate education programs
• Research degree programs
• Professional education degrees
• Higher education research
• Doctoral graduate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and 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, graduate, and professional degree programs including medical education, law, and executive education.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: $1.61B invested in Cornell research (FY24) from federal agencies (NIH, NSF, DOE, DoD), state governments, and private foundations supporting faculty research across disciplines.
3. Economic Impact and Technology Transfer: $768M economic impact generated by Cornell Tech (FY24); technology licensing through CTL; 3,200 jobs from Cornell start-ups since 2020; 40,000+ food products commercialized through Cornell Agritech.
4. Philanthropy and Endowments: $461M undergraduate grant aid (FY26); major gifts including $150M to SC Johnson College of Business, $50M to Nolan School of Hotel Administration, transformative gift from Ann S. Bowers '59 for computing college.
5. Healthcare Services: Weill Cornell Medicine clinical operations including hospitals and medical practices in NYC and Qatar.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cornell University Graduate School administers graduate and professional degree programs (PhD, master's, MD, JD, MBA, executive education) across 80+ fields of study, serving 10,423 graduate and professional students. It manages admissions, academic affairs, financial support (fellowships, assistantships, grants), and research administration in partnership with 3,025 faculty across Ithaca, New York City, and Qatar campuses.

Product overview

Cornell University Graduate School is a higher education institution offering graduate and professional degree programs across multiple colleges and schools. The institution does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cornell SC Johnson College of Business: Business college comprising Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
• Weill Cornell Medicine
• Cornell Tech
• School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR School)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ Nobel Laureates have advanced knowledge and society
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2011Cornell won highly publicized competition among top research universities to build Cornell Tech campus with Technion as partner. Both institutions contribute expertise in technology, research, and innovation to create a graduate-focused digital technology campus on Roosevelt Island.
• Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2001Partnership established Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, the first American medical school overseas, with Qatar Foundation supporting the initiative through Qatar's Education City.
• USDA Agricultural Research ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership operates the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, with ARS scientists and Cornell researchers collaborating on cutting-edge agricultural and health research with $40 million new facility.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell researchers and alumni involved in multiple NASA missions including Mars rovers (Spirit, Opportunity, Perseverance), Voyager spacecraft, and Icefin Antarctic exploration. Steven Squyres was principal investigator on Mars rover missions.
• New York StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs land-grant institution and SUNY partner, Cornell collaborates with New York State on agricultural extension, economic development, healthcare, and public policy through statewide network of cooperative extension offices in every county.
• NewYork-Presbyterian HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeill Cornell Medicine operates joint campus with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, one of the most esteemed clinical and medical research centers in the country.
• New York State Athletic Conference / Ivy LeagueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAthletic conference affiliations for Big Red sports teams, including traditional rivalry games like Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Princeton University: Private Ivy League research university with similar undergraduate focus, substantial graduate programs, and significant federal research funding. Direct peer in selectivity, faculty quality, and brand premium.
• Yale University: Private Ivy League research university with comparable graduate and professional school mix, large research investment, and similar selectivity. Direct peer for graduate admissions, faculty recruiting, and research funding competition.
• Harvard University: Private Ivy League research university offering the full breadth of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Most direct peer as a fellow private research-intensive Ivy institution competing for the same faculty, students, and federal research dollars.
• Columbia University: Private Ivy League research university with comparable NYC presence (Cornell Tech, Weill Cornell Medicine; Columbia Manhattanville). Direct peer on graduate professional schools (law, business, medicine) and urban research footprint.
• Stanford University: Private research university with comparable size, federal research funding scale, and strong startup/tech-transfer ecosystem. Closest analog to Cornell's Cornell Tech strategy and Silicon Valley-adjacent innovation model.
• Duke University: Private research university with comparable medical school, research scale, and graduate programs. Direct peer for graduate professional education, research funding, and competing for selective students and faculty.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Elite private research university with comparable scale of federal research funding, technology and engineering focus, and global brand. Directly comparable on research output, graduate STEM programs, and tech-transfer activity.
• University of Pennsylvania: Private Ivy League research university with comparable professional school portfolio (Wharton, Penn Law, Penn Medicine), similar research investment, and similar urban-adjacent operating model. Direct peer on graduate professional education and clinical delivery.

Emerging players

• University of Michigan: Public research university with comparable research scale, large graduate and professional school portfolio, and engineering/technology focus. Comparable on federal research funding competition and public-service mission, though structurally public rather than private.
• University of California, Berkeley: Public research university with comparable research output, Nobel Laureate count, and federal research funding scale. Comparable as a competitor for graduate students, faculty, and tech-transfer activity, though structured as a public institution.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Cornell
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Cornell
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cornell
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornell-university-graduate-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/cornelluniversity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cornell University Graduate School