Cornell University received more than 1,200 reports involving sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking between 2018 and 2024, and only seven cases resulted in an expulsion or dismissal. The figures come from an exclusive USA Today analysis of data Cornell reported to New York state.
They have emerged as Cornell faces scrutiny over its handling of an alleged 2024 sexual assault at its Chi Phi fraternity house. It is not clear whether the Chi Phi cases are reflected in the data, because court records show the students involved were disciplined in 2025.
How More Than 1,200 Reports Led to Seven Expulsions
Of the reports made to Cornell's Title IX office, the university filed disciplinary charges in 162, or around 13 per cent. USA Today found that at least one accused student or employee was found responsible in 51 of those cases.
Most of those found responsible received sanctions that allowed them to remain on campus, such as probation or training. Fourteen cases led to suspension, while seven ended in expulsion or dismissal, an average of one a year.
More than 1,200 incidents of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence and stalking were reported to Cornell University’s Title IX office from 2018 through 2024, USA TODAY found in an exclusive analysis of data the school reported to New York state.
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 30, 2026
Over seven years, Cornell… pic.twitter.com/8Rf40rhAmO
The seven expulsions or dismissals amount to about 14 per cent of the 51 cases with a finding of responsibility, and below 1 per cent of all reports. Cornell suspended or expelled the person at fault in 41 per cent of those cases, compared with 59 per cent across 26 New York colleges in the analysis.
The newspaper noted that some reported incidents may fall outside the university's jurisdiction. It found that expulsions and suspensions were uncommon across the 26 colleges, and that Cornell's outcomes largely aligned with those of its peers.
Alexandra Brodsky, litigation director of Public Justice's Students' Civil Rights Project, said there is a public narrative that schools have been 'expelling men left and right' over sexual assault allegations. 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' she said, and sociologist Nicole Bedera said the disciplinary figures suggested 'an erosion of trust'.
Reports to Cornell's Title IX office fell 41 per cent, from 282 in 2018 to 166 in 2024. Meanwhile, Cornell's campus climate surveys showed the share of undergraduate women reporting unwanted sexual contact or penetration rising from 23 per cent in 2023 to 35 per cent in 2025, based on 272 undergraduate women.
Cornell Defends Its Title IX Process
Cornell spokesperson Rebecca Valli said not all reported incidents lead to formal complaints, sometimes because the university does not know the identity of the victim or the accused, or because the victim chooses not to proceed. 'Cornell takes each report seriously and, to the greatest extent possible, honours a complainant's decision not to pursue resolution,' she said.
In a published FAQ on the Chi Phi case, the university said its Title IX process is separate from the criminal justice system and applies university policy rather than criminal law. It said its investigation ran for several months and included hearings in which a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days, and that the sanctions imposed included expulsions and suspensions.
Cornell has cited federal student privacy law in declining to identify individual penalties. CBS News reported that Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff told student government that two of the accused were expelled, two were suspended for at least two semesters, one had graduated before any punishment could be imposed, and two were found not responsible.
The university has also said the fraternity chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. None of the seven men named in the civil lawsuit has been criminally charged, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
I want answers. And I want accountability.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 30, 2026
I spoke with Cornell’s president today, and the university has agreed to bring in outside counsel for an independent investigation.
I’ve directed my team to look at what more we can do to strengthen protections for survivors.
This… pic.twitter.com/yDLOgi4svz
Governor Calls for Outside Review
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on 29 September that the case raised 'serious questions about Cornell's campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response'. In her official statement, she backed the district attorney's decision to reopen the criminal investigation and called for outside counsel to review the university's response.
A day later, Hochul said in a video posted to X that she had spoken with Kotlikoff and that the university had agreed to an independent review. The university had not publicly identified the outside counsel or detailed the full scope of the review, and New York Attorney General Letitia James' office has also confirmed that it is reviewing Cornell's handling of the case.
Cornell has said it supports the district attorney's decision to present the case to a grand jury. The grand jury will consider whether there is sufficient basis for an indictment.
