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Cornell University: Cornell University, Ho Plaza and Sage Hall
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College · Catholic life on campus

Cornell University

  • LocationIthaca, NY
  • Type and sizePrivate nonprofit · 4-year · 26,264 students
Official website

Cornell University is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

The Catholic campus ministry at Cornell is the Catholic Community at Cornell. The Diocese of Rochester's campus ministry list names it, and Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists it among student organizations affiliated with Cornell United Religious Work. An official October 2025 Cornell event page refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel. Its current Mass schedule, chaplain, confession times and programs are not recorded.

Mass, confession, and adoration

Confirm with the parish

Mass 1

  • Wednesday5:15 PMAnabel Taylor Hall Chapel · One dated reference (Wednesday, October 15, 2025). Frequency not statedreached.

Times come only from official parish, chaplaincy, or school pages, and can change with the season. Last verified Oct. 12, 2026.

Sources for these times (1)
  1. A Larger Idea of Divine Skill: Newman and Ratzinger | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/event/a-larger-idea-of-divine-skill-newman-and-ratzinger-on-the-wonders-of-creation-and-evolution · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “The lecture will take place after the 5:15pm Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel”
    A Cornell event on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

CCatholic life on campus: Mixed (grade C): 55 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.

Catholic life on campus

61 of 100 points on what we could document.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes (Named in the Diocese of Rochester's list of campus ministries and in Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making listing of Catholic student organizations.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Campus Ministry | Pastoral Services, Diocese of Rochesterps.dor.org/pastoral-services-offices-and-ministries/campuses · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Cornell Catholic Community 607-255-4228 catholic@cornell.edu www.cornellcatholic.org”
      The Diocese of Rochester's list of campus ministries by location includes the Cornell Catholic Community.
    2. Get Involved | Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/belonging-support-services/centers-student-equity-empowerment-and-belonging/office-spirituality-and-meaning-making/get-involved · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Community at Cornell”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the Catholic Community at Cornell among its student organizations.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryPart-time or shared priest (No priest is namedreached. Recorded as parttime because a Mass is confirmed by an official Cornell event page.)
    Sources (1)
    1. A Larger Idea of Divine Skill: Newman and Ratzinger | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/event/a-larger-idea-of-divine-skill-newman-and-ratzinger-on-the-wonders-of-creation-and-evolution · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The lecture will take place after the 5:15pm Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel”
      A Cornell event on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministry1–4 weekdays (One dated reference to a Wednesday 5:15 PM Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel (October 15, 2025).)
    Sources (1)
    1. A Larger Idea of Divine Skill: Newman and Ratzinger | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/event/a-larger-idea-of-divine-skill-newman-and-ratzinger-on-the-wonders-of-creation-and-evolution · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The lecture will take place after the 5:15pm Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel”
      A Cornell event on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)Two or more (Two Catholic organizations are listed on Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making page: the Catholic Community at Cornell and the COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture. The page does not mark either as graduate-only. Thomistic Institute at Cornell is marked grad/prof and is not counted.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Get Involved | Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/belonging-support-services/centers-student-equity-empowerment-and-belonging/office-spirituality-and-meaning-making/get-involved · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Community at Cornell”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the Catholic Community at Cornell among its student organizations.
      “COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture among its organizations.
      “The list below includes undergraduate student organizations supported by the Interfaith Council at Cornell, communities affiliated with Cornell United Religious Work, and graduate and professional student organizations.”
      The list includes undergraduate organizations and marks graduate and professional organizations separately.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)Not enough information: not found in official sources.
  • No: the school does not offer this, so it earns no points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)None mapped within 3 milesComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adoration1 to 5 times a week (1 weekly times documented: 1 Mass, 0 confession, 0 adoration.)Computed from the verified Mass, confession, and adoration times listed on this page (each day a time is offered counts once).

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • The Catholic Community at Cornell is listed by the Diocese of Rochester and by Cornell's spiritual life office.
    Sources (2)
    1. Campus Ministry | Pastoral Services, Diocese of Rochesterps.dor.org/pastoral-services-offices-and-ministries/campuses · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Cornell Catholic Community 607-255-4228 catholic@cornell.edu www.cornellcatholic.org”
      The Diocese of Rochester's list of campus ministries by location includes the Cornell Catholic Community.
    2. Get Involved | Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/belonging-support-services/centers-student-equity-empowerment-and-belonging/office-spirituality-and-meaning-making/get-involved · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Community at Cornell”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the Catholic Community at Cornell among its student organizations.
  • Cornell's official listing includes two Catholic organizations, one of them the Catholic Community at Cornell.
    Sources (1)
    1. Get Involved | Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/belonging-support-services/centers-student-equity-empowerment-and-belonging/office-spirituality-and-meaning-making/get-involved · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Community at Cornell”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the Catholic Community at Cornell among its student organizations.
      “COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture”
      Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture among its organizations.
      “The list below includes undergraduate student organizations supported by the Interfaith Council at Cornell, communities affiliated with Cornell United Religious Work, and graduate and professional student organizations.”
      The list includes undergraduate organizations and marks graduate and professional organizations separately.

Concerns

  • No current official Sunday Mass time or confession schedule was foundreached.
    Sources (1)
    1. A Larger Idea of Divine Skill: Newman and Ratzinger | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/event/a-larger-idea-of-divine-skill-newman-and-ratzinger-on-the-wonders-of-creation-and-evolution · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “The lecture will take place after the 5:15pm Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel”
      A Cornell event on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

Catholic Community at Cornell

  • Address: Anabel Taylor Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850
  • Facilities: chapel (Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel)

Source: events.cornell.edu, verified Oct. 12, 2026, events.cornell.edu, verified Oct. 12, 2026, scl.cornell.edu, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

2 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 2 location not published

Clubs and groups 2

  • Catholic Community at Cornell
    Catholic student community that Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists among organizations affiliated with Cornell United Religious Work.
    scl.cornell.edu, scl.cornell.edu
  • COLLIS Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture
    Catholic thought and culture organization that Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists among its organizations.
    scl.cornell.edu, scl.cornell.edu

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (5)
  1. Campus Ministry | Pastoral Services, Diocese of Rochesterps.dor.org/pastoral-services-offices-and-ministries/campuses · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Cornell Catholic Community 607-255-4228 catholic@cornell.edu www.cornellcatholic.org”
    The Diocese of Rochester's list of campus ministries by location includes the Cornell Catholic Community.
  2. Get Involved | Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/belonging-support-services/centers-student-equity-empowerment-and-belonging/office-spirituality-and-meaning-making/get-involved · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Catholic Community at Cornell”
    Cornell's Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making lists the Catholic Community at Cornell among its student organizations.
  3. A Larger Idea of Divine Skill: Newman and Ratzinger | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/event/a-larger-idea-of-divine-skill-newman-and-ratzinger-on-the-wonders-of-creation-and-evolution · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “The lecture will take place after the 5:15pm Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel”
    A Cornell event on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 refers to a 5:15 PM Cornell Catholic Mass in Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel.
  4. Anabel Taylor Hall | Cornell Eventsevents.cornell.edu/anabel_taylor · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Anabel Taylor Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA”
    The building that houses the Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel has this published address.
  5. Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making | Cornell Universityscl.cornell.edu/osmm · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Anabel Taylor Hall: 8:30 am-11:00 pm”
    Anabel Taylor Hall's published hours on the office page.

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Academic Excellence

AAcademic Excellence: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
99 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.95%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.98%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,535 · ACT 34
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.9 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$33,431

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
16,051
Total students26,264
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$28,690
Cost of attendance (per year)$88,140
Median federal debt at graduation$14,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
95%
First-year retention98%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$104,043
Admission rate9%
Students receiving Pell grants18%
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1535
SAT reading & writing730–770
SAT math770–800
ACT composite33–35
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value index: 73 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Rochester

The Most Reverend John S. Bonnici, Bishop of Rochester

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: dor.org, dor.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese determined from the county, using the diocese’s county list (Wikipedia). Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

Questions families ask

Is Cornell University a Catholic college?
No. Cornell University is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by Catholic Community at Cornell (Cornell United Religious Work).
What is Cornell University’s Catholic Life Score?
71 out of 100 (grade C). It measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes, together with academics.
Where is Mass celebrated at Cornell University?
Mass is listed at Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel. Days and times are on this page; please confirm with the parish or campus ministry before you go.

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