Course Enrollment
All students will enroll in courses during their enrollment period via Student Center. Before then, your college will send you information about creating your schedule, which may include information such as college requirements, course recommendations, and advising contacts.
Course Schedule Elements
- Your Program of Study: Your college will send specific information on how to choose courses. Some of your courses may have been added to your schedule for you, and you may not be able to change (drop) them.
- First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS): New students are expected to take one First-Year Writing Seminar during their first semester. The First-Year Writing Seminars, administered by the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, offer 100 different courses each semester through more than 30 departments. While the subjects may vary from cinema to ancient history, you will be expected to write.
- Physical Education Course: Cornell requires students to complete two Physical Education courses, one in each term of their first year on campus, as well as a Swim Test or Water Competency Graduation Requirement. If you already know how to swim, you will take the swim test during Orientation and enroll in any other Physical Education course. If you do not know how to swim, or do not feel confident about your swimming skills, enroll in Beginning Swimming (PE 1100) during your course enrollment period. Refer to the Physical Education website for further information regarding this requirement.
College Equivalency Exams
If you have taken the Advanced Placement (AP) Exam, International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam, General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A-Levels) Exam, French Baccalaureate, you will need to determine if you can be awarded Cornell credit for your exam score. Detailed information on College Equivalency Exams is provided within the Courses of Study on a subject-specific basis.
AP Credit
Arrange for College Board to send your official score reports directly to Cornell University using code 2098. Your college registrar will review your report and award the appropriate credit based on your scores.
IB/GCE-A Levels/French Baccalaureate
Arrange for your transcript to be send to your college registrar or school. Your college registrar will review your transcript and award the appropriate credit based on your scores.
Transfer Credit
Completed college courses, from another institution, for which you want to receive credit toward your Cornell degree will need to be evaluated by your college registrar or school. Each college or school manages the transfer credit process differently. Please reach out to your college registrar or school for further guidance.
Cornell Advanced Standing Exams (CASE)/Placement Exams
Placement exams may be required for some students and are also available on an optional basis. Based on your exam score, you may be exempt from taking the subject’s introductory course and instead be permitted enrollment in more advanced courses.
Cornell Advanced Standing Exams (CASE)
CASE exams are administered for subjects matters in Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. These exams are held in-person prior to the start of the semester. Refer to each department’s website for general information, including the date, time, and location of the exam.
Language Placement Exams
Online placement exams are available for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. Refer to the Language Resource Center’s online exam portal for further information.
Other exams are available in-person and interested students should contact the appropriate department for further information.
Africana Languages African Language Program
Asian Languages – Department of Asian Studies
German, Dutch, and Swedish – Department of German Studies
Classical Languages – Department of Classics
Near East/Middle East Languages – Near Eastern Studies
Romance Languages – Department of Romance Studies
Russian – Russian Language Program
Finnish – Department of Comparative Literature
Slavic and Ugro-Finnic Languages – Language Resource Center
Textbooks and Materials
The Cornell Store provides a list of required textbooks and materials, pending submission to the Cornell Store by the professor, for each of your courses via a personalized booklist. Information pertaining to course materials are available online via the Cornell Store’s website before the start of term.
The Cornell Academic Materials Program (CAMP) is a university-wide program that provides undergraduate students taking undergraduate courses with access to their required textbooks and coursepacks for a single flat-rate cost per semester. All materials in this program are provided in a digital format within Canvas and become available for students to access no later than the first day of classes.
Additional Considerations
Cornell's diversity extends to nearly 80 fields of study and 4,000 courses. Electives and some distribution requirements provide an opportunity for you to explore the breadth and depth of offerings both within your college or school and across the university. Students are encouraged to broaden their academic interests by taking courses outside their major and school, in cross-college courses, or Learning Where You Live courses. These experiences will provide an opportunity to engage with faculty and students in different areas of study and provide exposure to the perspectives of multiple disciplines.