THE CORNELL TRADITION Work, Scholarship, Service The Cornell Tradition is a nationally acclaimed financial aid program that recognizes and rewards extraordinary commitment to work and community service among students who also possess strong academic credentials. The Cornell Tradition offers fellowships to students who demonstrate these qualities. Fellowships reward and encourage students by reducing their loan obligations. Cornell Tradition Fellows fulfill work and volunteer requirements and must maintain a specified GPA. Annual awards to students can be up to $4,000. Thus, Cornell Tradition Fellows may graduate with as much as $16,000 less in student loans than they would otherwise have incurred. The Tradition is unique among Cornell's financial aid programs in its emphasis on reducing student loans. Since its inception in 1987, almost $12 million has been awarded to deserving students. The Cornell Tradition program supports the university's efforts to enroll some of the very finest students who are offered admission because the awards are both prestigious and financially attractive. Indeed, last year 62% of admitted students who were offered Cornell Tradition fellowships chose to attend Cornell, compared with a yield of 47% for the entire student body. The Cornell Tradition also embodies the beliefs, expressed by founder Ezra Cornell, that work and study are a positive combination and that cost should not be the determining factor in enrollment decisions. A Cornell Tradition Fellowship may be established with a gift of $60,000. Named Cornell Tradition Fellowships may be designated to give preference to students from a specific college or geographic area, if desired. A fellowship may be named in honor of an individual, a family or in any manner the giver chooses. These endowments provide annual fellowship awards in perpetuity. Givers receive annual reports about the students, as well as a financial report on the endowment. A special opportunity has been created for Cornell's Young Alumni (graduates receiving degrees within the past ten years) to participate in the Cornell Tradition. Young Alumni may establish a Cornell Tradition Fellowship endowment with a gift of $25,000, payable over five years. It is also possible to provide funding for a one-time named Cornell Tradition Fellowship award with a gift of $2500. Such a gift would be awarded in its entirety to one student and the giver would receive a report about this Fellow. All gifts to The Cornell Tradition help meet one of the university's highest priorities, ensuring that the very best students have the opportunity to study at Cornell.