Cornell’s campus in Ithaca combines an Ivy-level education with the tranquility of rural upstate New York. If you’re dreaming of scenic tree lines and weekend getaways to New York City, you’re definitely not the only one! Thousands of talented, well-rounded students apply to Cornell each year. A fantastic, well-rounded application is your best bet at getting accepted!
This includes having a mix of a competitive GPA, strong letters of recommendation, and (possibly) work experience. Your GRE score is just another piece of the puzzle that can make or break your application. That being said, what GRE scores should you be aiming for to get into Cornell? Chances are an average GRE score will not be enough.
Average GRE Score for Cornell Engineering
Thanks to US News & World Report rankings, we have the average GRE scores for Cornell’s engineering program. Why are these important? Well, if you’re an engineering student, the answer’s probably obvious.
However, even if you’re interested in another field, these scores help us understand how competitive Cornell’s programs are. For reference, US News & World Report ranked Cornell’s Engineering program as 12th nationwide in 2021/2022.
| Program | Average Verbal | Average Quantitative |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering - Master's | 156 | 165 |
| Engineering - PhD | 158 | 166 |
Estimated GRE Scores for Cornell Academic Programs
Unfortunately, US News & World doesn’t collect GRE information from all programs–only Engineering and Education. Never fear! Based on the scores and program rankings for these programs, Magoosh has extrapolated scores from other programs at Cornell based on their respective rankings.
Of course, this is only an estimate, but gives you a sense of what you should be aiming for when applying. Here we have listed 14 different Cornell programs with national rankings and estimated GRE score ranges.
| Program | US News Rank | Estimated Verbal Range | Estimated Quantitative Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences | 27 | 159-163 | 156-160 |
| Chemistry | 9 | 162-166 | 164-168 |
| Computer Science | 6 | 158-162 | 165-169 |
| Earth Sciences | 19 | 160-164 | 156-160 |
| Economics | 15 | 160-164 | 162-166 |
| English | 8 | 166-170 | 155-159 |
| Fine Arts | 53 | 156-160 | 150-154 |
| History | 11 | 162-166 | 151-155 |
| Mathematics | 13 | 159-163 | 165-169 |
| Physics | 7 | 164-168 | 168-170 |
| Political Science | 15 | 163-167 | 155-159 |
| Psychology | 24 | 158-162 | 151-155 |
| Public Administration | 34 | 159-163 | 152-156 |
| Sociology | 16 | 159-163 | 152-156 |
Resources to get the GRE scores you’ll need
Check out the following links for more help preparing for the GRE:
What Can We Take Away from Cornell’s Average GRE Scores?
Cornell’s GRE scores are pretty high! If you’re applying to a Cornell grad program, here are a few important takeaways:
- For Engineering programs at Cornell, the key score is Quant. Note that for both programs, the average score was 166. A strong Verbal score may help you, but you really want to get your Quant score as high as possible!
- Cornell’s highest-ranked program is Computer Science; when applying to this program, a target Quant score between 164 and 168 will give you a leg up.
- GRE scores at Cornell are likely highest for the Physics program, where we estimate average Quant scores to be between 168 and 170. Whew!
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