Admissions

Why Cornell Engineering?

"Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that never has been."—Theodore von Karman

Cornell engineers challenge the status quo and do great things. Steeped in an environment of questioning, and with a focus on innovation, Cornell Engineering pursues excellence in all areas. Its faculty, students, and alumni design, build, and test products, improve the world of medicine, inform and shape our laws, create and drive businesses, become research luminaries, and overcome real and perceived barriers to achieve scientific breakthroughs that advance the quality of life on our planet.

We invite you to learn more about Cornell Engineering and its programs.

What type of applicant are you?

Undergraduate Admissions

Our undergraduate program will challenge you to transcend traditional boundaries between disciplines while giving you a world-class education in a collaborative, rigorously academic environment.

Explore Subtopics

Did you know?

Salpeter-Decay-The technique for detecting radiologic decay in tagged molecules called quantitative electron-microscopic autoradiography was developed by Miriam Salpeter during her postdoctoral research in Applied and Engineering Physics in 1961 to 1967.

The electric organ (Hammond Organ) was invented in 1934 by Laurens Hammond (Mechanical Engineering, 1916). This inexpensive alternative to costly pipe organs found immediate popularity with churches, ball parks and ice rinks. Later, the instrument became the default choice for many keyboardists in rock, jazz and blues.

David Duffield, (Electrical Engineering, B.S., 1962), the namesake for Duffield Hall, is the founder of two ultra-successful enterprise software companies: PeopleSoft and Workday. Dufffield’s foundation Maddie’s Fund has supported no-kill animal shelters, including Tompkins County SPCA.

In 2014, Prof. Michael King and his team unveiled a new method for killing metastatic cancer cells directly in the bloodstream.  Almost 90 percent of all cancer deaths are caused by metastases and this new method could prove a valuable weapon in the fight against cancer.

John W. Wells (M.A., 1930, Ph.D., 1933), professor of geology from 1948-1973, discovered that corals can be used to determine past rotational speeds of the Earth and that the planet has been slowing down. His research spurred a remarkable increase in similar research studies and lead to discoveries in the changes of the orbital patterns of the Earth and moon over geologic time.