Cornell Below Average in Endowment Earnings

As with past practice, Cornell announces its endowment performance following a review at the October Board of Trustees meeting. Cornell released both a statement and its annual audited financial report, dated October 20, 2026.

Cornell’s investment goal is to earn 5% above the Consumer Price Index, in order to protect its 8,477 endowment accounts from the impact of inflation. Cornell earned 16.9% in the 2025-26 fiscal year. 

The Cornell Board of Trustees sets the payout amount to the endowment accounts at 4.8%. Starting in FY26, the Board of Trustees updated the endowment payout policy, changing the lookback period from twenty-eight quarters to twenty quarters. This has the effect of making the payout higher in response to Cornell’s recent market growth.