In addition to latin honors, fellowships and awards are a great way to gain recognition for research achievement. Look at applications for awards within Cornell and nationally.
Graduating with Honors
Latin honors (cum, magna, etc.) differs among colleges. For information about graduating with honors in your college, look at your college’s website or talk with your College Undergraduate Research Advisor. Honors presentations are delivered by most students accepted into honors programs.
College of Agriculture and Life Science
If you are a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Science, you will be awarded Distinction in Research. The Honors Committee will award levels to students similar to those given to students in the Arts College, but those levels will not show on their diploma. High academic achievement will be rewarded with Latin honors.
College of Arts and Sciences
If you are a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, you will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and will receive Latin honors for your research. High academic achievement will be awarded distinction.
College of Engineering
College of Human Ecology
School of Hotel Administration
School of Hotel Administration students applicants’ GPA must be in the top 10% (or must have a GPA > 3.5, whichever is the more selective criteria) as measured by cumulative GPA up to and including the semester prior to matriculation in the program. Students enroll in the Latin Honors Courses HADM 4970 and 4971 for the duration of thesis project.
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
ILR seniors in the top 20% of the class who want to conduct an independent research project can receive course credit for a two-semester honors thesis research project.
Biological sciences
Recognition
There are campus-wide and college-based awards for student researchers. To learn more about options in your college, contact your college’s Cornell Undergraduate Research Advisor.
McNair Scholars Program
The national and federally funded Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential.
Mellon Mays Program
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program was established in 1988 in response to a nationwide concern with increasing the number of faculty members from historically disadvantaged groups in higher education. The program aims to encourage historically disadvantaged and other U. S. citizens and permanent residents who are committed to eradicating racial disparities to pursue doctoral degrees in the following fields: Anthropology, Area Studies, Art History, Classics, Computer Science, Demography, Earth Science, Ecology, English, Ethnomusicology, Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Geology, History, Literature, Mathematics, Musicology, Philosophy, Physics, Political Theory, Religion, and Sociology.
OADI Research Scholars Program
The OADI Research Scholars Program provides underrepresented First Year and sophomore students the opportunity for research-oriented academic preparation in the interpretive social sciences, arts and humanities through coursework, mentoring, and informative events. The program also prepares participants for successful application to prestigious research-based scholarship programs, on campus and beyond. Click the links on the left for more information on the program and the application process.
Prestigious Fellowships
Career Services lists fellowship competitions Cornell students have won in the past.
Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholars
The Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars (RCPRS) program supports a select group of undergraduate students, from all colleges and many disciplines, by providing resources for and promoting sustained engagement in research in close relationship with faculty and other mentors.