Cornell University Placements: Job Opportunities and Salaries

• 85% of students find a job within 6 months of program completion.
• Avarrage salary ranges between 60k - 120k.
• Proven methods are cold applications and networking.

• Found my accommodation via a local property manager found on Google. Monthly rent is $900.

• Over 90% of students in most programs secure jobs or graduate school admission within 6 months of graduation. The average starting salary for STEM majors is around $80,000–$110,000, while business/economics graduates typically earn between $70,000 and $100,000. Computer science and engineering majors often receive offers in the $100K+ range, especially with top tech firms.
• Usually students find jobs through On-campus recruitment in the Cornell Career Services, summer internships that convert into full-time offers, alumni networking via LinkedIn, and online platforms like Handshake or workday.
• Major companies include Meta, JP Morgan, Amazon, McKinsey, and Bloomberg.

• For the first 2 years I opted for on-campus housing as it was compulsory. For a semester, I have to pay about $7000. I didn't face any challenges, as the process was randomized to assign rooms and I got a single room in a decent hostel for both years so I didn't face any challenges in searching for housing. The accommodation is within the college campus and about 15 minutes walking distance from classes. Most indian students also stay on campus.

• Full-Time Job Opportunities After Course Completion Placement Rate (within 6 months): Around 85–90% of the graduating batch secures full-time job offers within 6 months of completing their program, especially in STEM and business-related fields.
• Average Salary Range: Most students receive salaries in the range of $80,000 to $120,000 per year, depending on the field, prior experience, and role.
• Job Search Process: Students typically find jobs through: Career fairs and networking events organized by Cornell Handshake (Cornell’s internal job portal) LinkedIn and company websites Referrals from professors, alumni, or peers On-campus recruitment for select roles in consulting, tech, and finance
• Highest and Lowest Salaries: Highest Offers: Can go up to $150,000+ annually, especially in tech, finance, and consulting sectors. Lowest Offers: Start around $60,000–$70,000 annually, usually in research, academia, or small startups.

• Finding Accommodation—My Experience Search Methods: I primarily used online platforms such as Facebook groups (like “Cornell Housing” or “Cornell University – Indian Students”) Ithaca Craigslist and Zillow Cornell Off-Campus Housing portal WhatsApp groups of incoming students and alumni.
• Challenges Faced: High demand and limited supply near campus, especially during peak intake months Scams and fake listings, especially on open forums Unfurnished apartments and difficulty in arranging furniture as a new international student Finding roommates with matching lifestyle and budgets
• Recommendations: Start looking at least 2–3 months in advance to get good options Verify listings through video calls or ask current students to visit if possible Prefer staying in grad student housing or areas like Collegetown, Maplewood, or near Commons for convenience. If budget allows, consider fully furnished shared apartments to reduce setup hassle

There are career fairs and a lot of fortune 500 companies visit. Students from Cornell are placed with great packages. The median salary for the ECE department is $108000.

Program ranked in top 10 in the US. Ivy league school. Shorter duration of masters program. Best Engineering school in the Ivy league.

There is a portal called Handshake specifically for Cornell students where we cand directly talk with recruiters which speeds up the process. Research is also excellent with outstanding computational and experimental facilities.

More credits/focus assigned to research. At least a third of the total credits for graduation were assigned for research which was my primary area of interest.

Cornell claims the median salary is $85k but this depends on the demographic in which you are offered a job. $85k in Middle west is a good amount but is peanuts in California. All forms of companies come on campus including domains like consulting, product management, project management, supply chain etc.

1. Small cohort 2. Brand name 3. One of the best program I wanted to pursue.

It is great. Depends on the individual as well. In the US the college brand name is not a big fuss like in India. There are numerous research opportunities as well. They can be intra-department as well. Research depends on how well can you find an advisor to fund your research and how you convince the admission committee about your research prowess.

Prestige and ranking(overall and department). It is an Ivy school and ranked in the top 10 in the US for my program.

I can't comment on this yet, since I've just started my program. However, I've heard great things. Lots of Cornell PhDs get amazing post-doctoral and/or faculty offers. If one wants to apply to the industry or national labs, there are tons of opportunities too, especially in applied physics.

I ended up choosing Cornell mainly due to two Professors here (Jie Shan and Peter McMahon). Their research interests aligned really well with mine. Another, although minor, factor that affected my decision was the availability of many hiking trails in Ithaca. I really enjoy trekking and hiking, so that was a major plus.

A great network to be able to be successful in the future, allows me to extensively train for the career I want. Has a good social climate to be able to enjoy myself when I need a break from the tough work.

Very good and excellent. People expect to do very well when they graduate. Graduates are among the highest paid and people do very well. I know many young graduates and they are enjoying how Cornell prepared them.

It's the leading program in this field and I couldn't find it anywhere else. Very detailed and good instruction at Cornell's ILR School in Ithaca, NY about 4 hours from New York City. There are plenty of resources.