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Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, MIprivate nonprofitwww.cornerstone.edu/
Acceptance
78%
Avg net price
$20,301
Earnings (10 yr)
$47,314
Graduation rate
62%
Admit rate has ranged 73%–91% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Cornerstone University is a Christ-centered liberal arts institution in Grand Rapids, MI, where faith and academics intertwine with a practical edge. With a 73% acceptance rate and a tight-knit campus culture, it attracts students seeking a values-driven education—particularly in business, its most popular major. The university's 88% freshman retention rate suggests students find what they're looking for: a community where 'growth, opportunity, and new connections' are baked into the experience.
Admission requirements
Test-blind — scores not considered
Required
- High school transcript
- Grade point average
- TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
- Letters of recommendation
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
- Undergrad enrollment
- 1,298
- In-state tuition
- $23,000
- Out-of-state tuition
- $23,000
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Acceptance Rate
- 73.2%
- Most Popular Major
- Business Administration
- Median Alumni Salary
- $42,379–$42,598
- Student-Faculty Ratio
- 15:1
- 6-Year Graduation Rate
- 64%
- Freshman Retention Rate
- 88%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $47,314
- Value (earnings ÷ net price)
- 2.3×
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- First-year retention
- 78%
- Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
- 60%
- Pell (lower-income) share
- 57%
- First-generation share
- 35%
- Endowment / student
- $13,106
Financial health
2.8 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
- Business Administration, Management and Operations$46,924
- Marketing$40,485
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$38,289
- Psychology, General$32,162
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$31,133
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Campus & location
Campus safety
- On-campus violent crimes (2024)
- 0
- Per 1,000 students
- 0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
- Pleasant days / yr
- 90
- Summer high
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 40.7"
- Annual snow
- 38.7"
- Natural-hazard risk
- Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility
Research output
- Institutional h-index
- 50
- Scholarly works
- 711
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
- Mobility rate
- 0.3%
- Bottom → top quintile
- 8%
- From bottom quintile
- 4%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
- What is the acceptance rate at Cornerstone University?
- Cornerstone University's acceptance rate is approximately 78% (Grand Rapids, MI), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
- How much does Cornerstone University cost?
- At Cornerstone University, the average net price (after aid) is about $20,301 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
- How many undergraduates attend Cornerstone University?
- Cornerstone University enrolls approximately 1,298 undergraduate students.
- Where is Cornerstone University located?
- Cornerstone University is located in Grand Rapids, MI.
Admissions
Cornerstone University maintains an accessible admissions process with a 73.2% acceptance rate (PrepScholar), though some sources cite 78% (US News). The school is Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. for most programs, though it recommends an ACT score of 19, SAT of 1000, or CLT of 64 for competitive applicants. A 2.5 high school GPA is the baseline requirement, though admitted freshmen typically average a 3.66 GPA (Peterson's). Notably, the gender gap in Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. is stark: women are admitted at 83%, men at 71% (Peterson's).
Academics
Cornerstone offers 65+ accredited programs—from associate to bachelor's degrees—all taught through a Christian worldview lens. Business Administration is the most popular major, awarding 39 degrees annually (CollegeRaptor). The 15:1 student-faculty ratio (US News) supports intimate classrooms, and an 88% freshman retention rate hints at academic satisfaction. The SOAR program, recognized by as a top business degree, exemplifies Cornerstone's career-focused approach. Courses emphasize 'real-life examples and data sets' (Undergrad Catalog), blending theory with practical application.
Compare Cornerstone University
See colleges similar to Cornerstone University →Sources
- Cornerstone University Overview - CollegeData
- [PDF] Cornerstone University Traditional Undergraduate Catalog 2021-22
- Common Data Set: Home
- How To Use a Common Data Set - The College Solution
- Decoding the Common Data Set What You Need to Know for Your ...
- [PDF] 2023-2024 Common Data Set Template
- Cornerstone University SAT Scores and GPA - PrepScholar
- First Year Admissions - Cornerstone University
- Cornerstone University Admissions - US News Best Colleges
- Cornerstone University Tuition, Acceptance Rate, & Academics - Sallie
