Cornell University has rarely expelled students or employees in cases of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, or stalking, according to an exclusive analysis of data the school reported to New York state. From 2018 through 2024, more than 1,200 such incidents were reported to Cornell’s Title IX office, yet only seven cases concluded with expulsion or dismissal.
The analysis revealed that Cornell filed disciplinary charges against an accused student or employee in 162 of these cases, finding at least one individual at fault in 51 instances. The majority of those found responsible received minor sanctions, such as probation or training, which allowed them to remain on campus. Fourteen cases resulted in suspensions.
Sociologist Nicole Bedera, who researches institutional responses to campus sexual misconduct, stated that lenient punishments for violent offenses can foster an environment where survivors are less inclined to report, potentially leading to more violence. “Those numbers strike me that there’s been an erosion of trust,” Bedera commented on Cornell’s data. “If perpetrators know that nothing is going to happen to them, then they feel less inhibited in acting violently. If there’s no check on that violence, it just grows and grows.”
This data emerges as Cornell faces a federal lawsuit alleging the university failed to protect a female student who accused seven fraternity members of drugging and gang-raping her in 2024. While no criminal charges were initially filed, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office reopened the case on September 28. A lawyer for the woman involved in the lawsuit told CBS News that Cornell expelled two of the seven fraternity members, while others were reportedly allowed to write essays to mitigate their punishments. It remains unclear whether these specific cases, disciplined in 2025, are fully reflected in the 2018-2024 data.
In response to detailed questions, Cornell spokesperson Rebecca Valli stated that not all reported incidents lead to formal complaints and investigations. This can occur if the identity of the victim or accused is unknown, or if the victim chooses not to proceed. Valli emphasized, “Cornell takes each report seriously and, to the greatest extent possible, honors a complainant’s decision not to pursue resolution.” She added that the university provides support and resources regardless of whether a respondent undergoes conduct processes or a complainant consents to an investigation.
Despite averaging 29,000 enrolled students, Cornell suspended only two students or employees for sexual violence per year and expelled or dismissed one per year between 2018 and 2024. This reflects a broader infrequency in removing individuals accused of sexual and gendered violence from campus, even as reports of students experiencing such offenses have increased. A 2025 campus climate survey indicated that nearly 1 in 6 Cornell students had experienced unwanted sexual contact or penetration since enrolling, including more than 1 in 3 women undergraduates.
Experts acknowledge that not every report warrants a full investigation, as many come from mandatory reporters or secondhand sources, or victims may only seek services rather than a formal process. However, Alexandra Brodsky, litigation director for Public Justice’s Students’ Civil Rights Project, noted that the scarcity of severe penalties for sexual violence perpetrators at Cornell aligns with a nationwide trend. This trend, she argues, contradicts the public narrative that campus disciplinary proceedings are unfairly biased against accused men.
Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education, mandates prompt investigations into sexual misconduct reports to safeguard a victim’s right to education. Removing individuals found at fault is a key method for schools to ensure campus safety. The political landscape surrounding Title IX has seen significant shifts, from robust enforcement under the Obama administration in the early 2010s to pushback and new regulations under the Trump administration in 2020, which made it harder for schools to find students at fault. The Biden administration’s subsequent regulations, which aimed to restore Obama-era protections, were struck down by federal courts, leading to the formal reinstatement of the 2020 Trump administration regulations on September 28, 2026.
These policy changes have had an impact on reporting. Cornell’s Title IX office received 282 reports of sexual violence in 2018, but this number dropped by 41% to 166 reports in 2024. Concurrently, the prevalence of sexual violence on campus appeared to rise, with 23% of undergraduate women reporting unwanted sexual contact or penetration in a 2023 campus climate survey, a figure that jumped to 35% in the 2025 survey. Bedera suggested that this combination of rising violence and declining reports indicates a climate where students feel uncomfortable coming forward, leading to a belief in impunity for sexual assault at Cornell among all students, including victims and perpetrators.
New York is one of the few states that requires all colleges, including private institutions, to report sexual misconduct case outcomes to its state education department under the 2015 Enough is Enough law. An analysis of data from 26 four-year New York colleges with at least 10,000 students, including Cornell, showed that from 2018 to 2024, these institutions collectively received 9,910 reports. They launched formal investigations in 1,295 cases, leading to findings of responsibility in 523, suspensions in 230, and expulsions in 81—less than 1% of reported incidents.
Cornell’s outcomes largely mirrored its peers, with its rate of one expulsion or suspension per 10,000 students each year surpassing 20 of the 26 schools, though it lagged behind State University of New York at Binghamton’s rate of 3.8. However, Cornell fell short in key areas: only 13% of its formally investigated incidents resulted in expulsions or suspensions, compared to the combined rate of 24% across all 26 colleges. Furthermore, when Cornell found an alleged perpetrator at fault, it suspended or expelled them only 41% of the time, whereas the combined rate for the 26 colleges was 59%. The remaining cases at Cornell resulted in minor sanctions.
This trend is not unique to New York. A 2022 investigation found that expulsions and suspensions were similarly uncommon for students accused of sexual misconduct at 107 of the nation’s largest public universities from 2014 through 2020, with suspensions occurring in 1 of every 12,400 enrolled students per year and expulsions in 1 of every 22,900.
While the Title IX process is not solely aimed at expulsion or suspension, and many survivors seek only resources or accommodations, enduring the arduous investigation process often leaves them disappointed when a perpetrator is found at fault but allowed to return to classes. Brodsky suggested that some schools issue lenient punishments to minimize litigation risk from disciplined parties, who may be perceived as more likely to sue than victims. Many survivors who report assault or stalking ultimately choose to leave their schools.
Pushback began almost immediately. Critics accused schools of punishing male students without fair hearings or adequate evidence. Scores of disciplined students sued their colleges, and courts rebuked some schools for due process violations.
By the 2025 survey, the number jumped to 35%. Of the 926 students who responded to that survey, 272 were undergraduate women.
