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Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Cornerstone University

Students comparing Cornerstone University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Grand Rapids, Michigan1,298 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 62Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Cornerstone University: U.S. News ranks it #64 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1197 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #443 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #1039 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 1,298 undergraduates, admits 77.8% of applicants, and posts a 61.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $23,000; aid recipients pay $20,301 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,314.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
77.8%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,301

43% below the $35,700 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$47,314

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
61.9%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$25,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedCornerstone University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Cornerstone University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#64of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1197of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#443of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1039of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Cornerstone University's position moves 50 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Cornerstone University

Cornerstone University is a private nonprofit institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Federal data show 78.3% first-year retention and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,301 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $35,700 sticker cost against $20,301 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Cornerstone University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$23,000

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
32.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,700

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $35,700 a year, but the average family pays $20,301 — a 43% difference. 32.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Cornerstone University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    15:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    78.3%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,298

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Cornerstone University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $23,000 and on-campus room and board is $12,700, for a published total of $35,700 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,301.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 77.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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