{{Short description|Liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, US}}

| undergrad = 10331,033<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cornellcollege.edu/institutional-research/institutional-profile/faqs.shtml|title=INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT FAQ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/cornell-college-1856|title=Cornell {{Bare URL inlineCollege|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220160522/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/cornell-college-1856|archive-date=April 20222011-02-20|access-date=2023-08-31}}</ref>

Cornell students study ''one course at a time'' (commonly referred to as "the block plan" or "OCAAT"). Since 1978, school years have been divided into "blocks" of three- and- a- half weeks each (usually followed by a four-day "block break" to round out to four weeks), during which students are enrolled in a single class; what would normally be covered in a full semester's worth of class at a typical university is covered in just eighteen Cornell class days. While schedules vary from class to class, most courses consist of around 30 hours of lecture, along with additional time spent in the laboratory, studying audio-visual media, or other activities. [[Colorado College]] in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]]; [[Maharishi University of Management]] in [[Fairfield, Iowa]]; [[Quest University]] in Squamish, British Columbia; [[Tusculum College]] in [[Tusculum, Tennessee]]; and [[University of Montana - Western|The University of Montana - Western]] are the only other colleges operating under a similar academic calendar. Cornell formerly operated on a calendar of 9 blocks per year but switched to 8 blocks per year beginning in the fall of 2012.

FromSince its inception, Cornell has accepted women into all degree programs. In 1858, Cornell was host to Iowa's first female recipient of a baccalaureate degree, Mary Fellows, a member of the first graduating class from Cornell College. She received a bachelor's degree in mathematics. In 1871, [[Harriette Cooke|Harriette J. Cooke]] became the first female college professor in the United States to become a full professor with a salary equal to that of her male colleagues.

[[File:KingChapel1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[King Memorial Chapel|King Chapel]], Cornell College]]

TheAmong the most widely recognizable buildingbuildings on Cornell's campus is [[King Memorial Chapel|King Chapel.]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75339432 |title=Iowa SP King Memorial Chapel |date=2013–2017 |publisher=Department of the Interior, National Park Service |series=File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Iowa, 1/1/1964 – 12/31/2013}}</ref> The chapel is the site of the annual convocation at the commencement of the school year as well as the baccalaureate service in the spring for graduating students. The chapel contains a large organ (over 3000 pipes) and is often the site of musical performances. Religious services are held in the nearby Allee Chapel.

[[Category:EducationalUniversities institutionsand colleges established in 1853]]