CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ABOUT CORNELL

Cornell University fields 16 varsity sports across the Ivy League as a Division I FCS program, representing the institution's 1865 founding in Ithaca, New York. The Big Red compete within one of college athletics' most academically rigorous conferences, where 8 athletic scholarships are distributed across the athletic department to comply with Ivy League financial aid policies. With an enrollment of 26,793 students, Cornell maintains a distinctive balance between athletic competition and academic excellence that defines Ivy competition.

The program's breadth spans football, basketball, lacrosse, and Olympic sports that reflect the university's comprehensive athletic mission. Cornell's 16 varsity teams—including men's and women's soccer, cross country, golf, tennis, swimming and diving, along with baseball, softball, and volleyball—compete for Ivy League championships while upholding the conference's recruiting and financial aid standards. Men's football and basketball anchor the program's visibility, though women's lacrosse has emerged as a particularly competitive sport within the Ivy structure.

Located in upstate New York's Finger Lakes region, Cornell's athletic facilities serve the Big Red across multiple sports venues throughout Ithaca. The university's commitment to student-athlete development emphasizes the integration of rigorous academics with athletic achievement, a hallmark of Ivy League institutions that distinguishes Cornell from scholarship-dependent programs elsewhere in Division I FCS competition.