Students walk on the campus of Cornell University on September 30, 2026 in Ithaca, New York.
Spencer Pratt | Getty Images
Cornell University is facing intense scrutiny over its handling of sexual assault allegations, but some students are reconsidering whether to apply, according to a college admissions consultant who spoke with CNBC.
The concerns come just weeks before Cornell University’s Nov. 1 early decision deadline, in which applicants must decide whether to submit their applications under a binding agreement if admitted to the Ivy League school.
Christopher Lim, president and CEO of university consulting firm Command Education, said some high school seniors decided to drop the school from consideration amid public outrage over the alleged 2024 incident and its subsequent handling of the Jane Doe lawsuit.
“Originally, we had nine students applying to Cornell University, and four of them were early applicants. Now we have zero early applicants,” he said.
The case centers on a civil lawsuit filed in September by a former student identified as Jane Doe. She alleges that she was sexually assaulted in October 2024 at one of Cornell University’s fraternity houses on its campus in Ithaca, New York.
Jamie Beaton, co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, a university consulting firm, said: “Some Cornell applicants are reconsidering their application to Cornell due to concerns about campus safety and culture.”
Cornell University referred CNBC to an Oct. 13 message from Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff. The university said in a statement that it is conducting an independent investigation led by former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to examine long-standing policies and practices. Separately, Cornell University has suspended all fraternity parties and social events for the remainder of the 2026-27 academic year.
“These conversations and campus protests have underscored my deep conviction that we must do better. The time to make meaningful and lasting change at Cornell and on campuses across the country is now,” Kotlikoff said in a statement.
What happens next is key, Lim said. “It’s really important to make sure that Cornell University is doing the right thing and actually change the policy,” he said. “Then you have to convince students and families that you are serious about it.”
Will my Cornell University application number change?
Beaton said changing courses so close to the early decision deadline can be difficult for prospective students who have spent months tailoring their applications to specific Cornell schools, a feature of the university’s application process.
He said some applicants “feel psychologically committed” and “have stayed the course and are hopeful that increased scrutiny of Cornell will force significant reforms to the university’s behavior and culture.”
In some cases, early decision increases an applicant’s chances of admission, but leaves them less time to work on their application and compare their options. Cornell University’s usual decision deadline is January 2nd.
Looking ahead, “What we expect is things to get bigger in the short term,” Beaton said, referring specifically to this adoption cycle. But he added that long-term fluctuations in the number of applicants and the yield, which is the proportion of students who choose to enroll after being admitted, are likely to be minimal.
“The pull of brand, achievement and networks is so strong that scandals at highly selective universities do not permanently move application numbers,” Beaton said.
Cornell University is the largest Ivy university by undergraduate enrollment. Cornell University has an acceptance rate of less than 10% and recently admitted 5,776 applicants to the Class of 2030, according to the university’s independent student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun.
