Washington University in St Louis vs Cornell University

St. Louis, MO · Ithaca, NY · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair MO:NY

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MO × NY
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Nearly parallel enrollment growth

ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Washington University in St Louis and Cornell University across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • Washington University in St Louis: enrollment grew +15.3% over 2013–2023; fitted +104 students/yr fitted, r² 0.96.
  • Cornell University: enrollment grew +11.4% over 2013–2023; fitted +168 students/yr fitted, r² 0.87.
  • Washington University in St Louis: acceptance rate tightened -23.1% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.71).
  • Cornell University: acceptance rate tightened -47.6% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.94).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Washington University in St Louis vs Cornell University

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Cornell University leads on acceptance rate (8.8% vs 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE Washington University in St Louis leads on avg net price ($21,786 vs $28,690 at Cornell University)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Cornell University leads on median debt at graduation ($14,000 vs $17,500 at Washington University in St Louis)

Washington University in St Louis profile · Cornell University profile · Compare other colleges

Also on the Scorecard board

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Cornell University?
Cornell University leads on acceptance rate at 8.8% versus 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Cornell University?
Washington University in St Louis leads on avg net price at $21,786 versus $28,690 at Cornell University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Cornell University?
Cornell University leads on median debt at graduation at $14,000 versus $17,500 at Washington University in St Louis. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025