Student Perks and Discounts
Cornell has a number of resources to help you stay on track with your personal budgeting plan. Below is a sampling of discounts and freebies for Cornell graduate students available at Cornell and beyond. There are also several national associations that offer free or discounted memberships to graduate students.
Please note: Due to COVID-19, some of the services and opportunities below may not be available at this time.
Academic Resources and Services
- Computing and Data Workshops (Free for students, faculty, and staff)
- IT Training workshops and classes (Free for students, faculty, and staff)
- Cornell University Library workshops (Free for students, faculty, and staff)
- Writing from A to B (Free PDF guidebook on thesis/dissertation writing)
Budget and Personal Finance Resources
- Personal Finance (Offers resources specific to Cornell and resources from around the web to help you budget and save)
- GradSense (From the Council of Graduate Schools with finance and budget information for graduate students)
- UCLA’s fellowship database (Searchable database for graduate and postdoc funding)
- CashCourse (Customizable information about personal finances)
Career and Professional Development
- Careers Beyond Academia (Free for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars)
- Cornell Career Services (Free for all Cornell students)
- Future Faculty and Academic Careers (Free for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars)
Emergency Funds
Entertainment Savings
- Big Red Barn events (Free for graduate students and often feature free snacks and coffee and discounted beer and wine)
- Big Red Sports Pass (Unlimited access to Cornell sports except men’s hockey)
- Men’s Ice Hockey ($15 student tickets except Cornell/Harvard game)
- Cornell Music (Free or discounted concerts at Cornell)
- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Free admission)
- Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts (Discounted tickets)
- Ithaca College Music (Over 350 concerts per year, many free or discounted)
- Cornell Cinema (Discounted tickets)
- Cinemapolis (Discounted tickets)
- Regal Cinemas at the Ithaca Mall ($1.50 off Sunday-Thursday evenings with valid student IDs)
Fitness and Wellness Services
- Skate at Lynah Rink or Cass Park (Discounted skating)
- Discounted classes at Cornell Outdoor Education
- Campus fitness centers
- Borrow sports equipment (Free equipment loans through Cornell Recreation)
- Additional free recreation at Cornell
- Outdoor basketball on North or West Campus and indoor at Helen Newman and Noyes
- Open lap swimming at Helen Newman or Teagle
- Sand volleyball between Clara Dickson and Balch Hall
- Shoot pool or play table tennis at Noyes
- Tennis at Risley, Appel, and Jessup courts
- Volleyball and badminton at Helen Newman or Noyes
- Hike the Botanic Garden trails
Retail Savings
- The Cornell Store (Discounts on technology and cell products, three locations across Ithaca)
- SUNY Perks at Work (Discounts on many items, including computers, cell phone service, travel, movies, cars, and restaurants)
Transportation and Travel Opportunities
- TCAT Bus (All registered Cornell students receive unlimited rides on all TCAT buses for their first year, and after 6 p.m. weekdays, and anytime Saturday and Sunday for their subsequent years when using their CU ID card at the farebox)
- Campus to Campus Bus (Discounted tickets for Cornell students and staff)
- Short Line Bus to/from New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island (Discounted weekend fare for Cornell students)
- Research and Conference Travel Grants (Funding for research degree student travel)
- SUNY Perks at Work (Discounts on many products, including a comprehensive travel planner)