Cornell Endowment Returns 12.3% in Fiscal 2025, Second Among Ivies

The endowment of Cornell University returned 12.3% in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to a Tuesday statement from Cornell Chief Financial Officer Christopher Cowen and Cornell CIO Kenneth Miranda.

Assets of the endowment rose to $11.8 billion, according to the statement. The endowment had $10.7 billion in assets in fiscal 2024, when it returned 8.7%.

The last of its Ivy League peers to report its investment returns, Cornell bested all except the endowment of Columbia University, whose performance was higher by 10 basis points at 12.4%. Cornell also ranked second to Columbia in returns in fiscal 2023; it ranked fourth in fiscal 2024, behind Columbia, Brown University and Harvard University.

During the fiscal year, the endowment contributed $439 million to Cornell’s operating expenses. For fiscal 2026, the report projected a $463 million outlay for grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid.

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