Cornell’s commitment to diversity, access, and inclusion begins with recruitment. Consider Cornell: Experience provides an excellent opportunity for scholars (see eligibility criteria below) to gain an insider look at the graduate admissions process and take the steps to create a top-quality graduate school application package. The unique features of this program include one-on-one reviewing of application components, advice on strategies for effective interactions with key stakeholders from academic departments and the Graduate School, and individual meetings with potential faculty advisors. You will also immerse yourself in campus culture through campus and lab tours as well as individualized engagements with your intended fields of study.

This program is intended for scholars, both domestic, currently residing in the United States, who are preparing to apply to a Ph.D. program at Cornell University for the upcoming application cycle.

Open to scholars from all backgrounds, this program has a particular focus on engaging scholars who have demonstrated commitment and potential to significantly contribute Cornell’s core value to provide a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together.

You will communicate your potential contributions to the Cornell community through a short essay response. Within your response, you may also provide details of lessons learned from any of your lived experiences including but not limited to:

• being a first-generation college student or graduate (no parent/guardian completed a baccalaureate degree)
• being racialized as someone who identifies with racial/ethnic backgrounds (such as Black or African American, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latine, and/or Southeast Asian) historically excluded from and underrepresented in graduate education
• managing a disability or chronic health condition
• experiencing housing, food, economic, and/or other forms of significant insecurity
• being a solo parent
• identifying with a gender and/or sexual orientation historically underrepresented in a field of study
• having served in the military
• holding DACA, refugee, TPS or asylee status

Please note that this program does not accept applications from current Cornell undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, employees and other affiliates. 

This program accepts applications from U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, Refugees, or Asylees and Canadian-born Native Americans who meet specific criteria under the Jay Treaty of 1794. 

There is no travel funding available for scholars, who meet the above eligibility criteria, but who reside abroad (including U.S. overseas military bases) during the time of the program.

This program is intended for domestic scholars, currently residing in the United States, who are preparing to apply to a Ph.D. program at Cornell University for the upcoming (Fall 2025) application cycle. Therefore, it is not intended for those interested in masters and professional degree programs.

The Consider Cornell: Experience is a two-day, immersive on-campus program that will take place on the Cornell University campus in New York, October 25-26, with travel to Ithaca on October 24 and departure on October 27. Please ensure that you are available on all four days: October 24-27 to be able to take full advantage of the program.

As part of the online application, you will be asked to enter background information, respond to four short essay questions (100-250 words) and provide the following documents and items: 

1. Resume/CV: A brief document (two pages maximum) that highlights your qualifications, including education, employment history, research experience, relevant skills/certifications, presentations, additional training, awards, and volunteer service.
2. Academic Transcripts (official/unofficial): Include transcripts from all academic institutions you have attended. Official and unofficial transcripts are accepted, but unofficial versions are preferred.
3. Cornell Graduate Program Selection: From the list of Cornell’s graduate academic fields, you will select the field you are most interested in. It is important that you select only one field of your interest.
4. A ranked list of five Cornell faculty whose research is most closely aligned with yours and who you would like to interact with if chosen for the program. You will be asked to list them in order of relevance to your research interest. To identify the faculty, visit and review the respective faculty webpages on your field of interest’s website.

All documents should be submitted in PDF format.

Costs associated with participating in this two-day program, including travel, lodging and meals will be paid by Cornell University. 

If you apply, are accepted and participate in Consider Cornell: Experience, the Cornell Graduate School will waive your PhD application fee.

Applicants will begin receiving notifications about their application status no later than August 31st, 2024.

Applicants who are accepted to the Consider Cornell: Experience program will be asked to confirm their acceptance no later than September 4th, 2024, make travel arrangements and provide important information about accessibility and other logistical necessities. 

Accepted applicants will also be asked to submit a draft of your graduate school Academic Statement of Purpose by Sunday, October 6, 2024. This will be used exclusively for the one-on-one feedback session and is not intended to be a final version for submission to a graduate program.