Comparable Schools'
Parking Grades:
Quick Stats
Common Parking Tickets
- Expired meter - $12
- Fire lane - $50
- Handicapped zone - $50
- No parking zone - $25
Freshmen Allowed to Park
Yes
Approximate Parking Permit Cost
Parking Permits
Permit prices and eligibility are determined through a tier system with limited access to specific lots.
College Prowler Take
With such a large campus, expect to walk long distances from your home to campus and from class to class. Ithaca is notorious for its hills, so you’ll be sure to get your morning exercise. While having a car is convenient, it is pretty much useless if you expect to use it primarily to drive to class. If you’re willing to shell out the cash for an expensive parking pass, then you will still be hard pressed to find a favorable place in the vicinity of one of your lecture classrooms. However, due to the somewhat isolated nature of Ithaca, having a car is useful for weekend trips.
Cornell faces a serious space crunch in regards to on-campus parking, and most students are displeased with the number of spaces available. While you may sometimes get away with parking in loading zones, wary officials will be quick to ticket your vehicle after 30 minutes, and don’t expect any mercy from Cornell’s transportation department. It’s possible, from time to time, to find spaces in pay lots by Willard Straight and Friedman Athletic Center. The downside is that you have a maximum parking time of two hours, and both lots are still a hike to class. Most students walk to class because of the problematic and expensive parking situation, and they choose to leave their cars in residential lots.
Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
Parking around campus is...
Parking around campus is expensive, inconvenient, and nearly impossible. If you own a car, be prepared to budget a few hundred dollars per year to cover the cost of parking tickets since officials mercilessly roam campus on the hunt. Unless it’s before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m., expect to walk long distances from your car to class. |
Anonymous says: |
Parking is a pain in the butt and...
Parking is a pain in the butt and Cornell over charges you. Cost for parking is $1 per hour in most places, and about $500 for the entire year, even though you still have to walk to class. |
Anonymous says: |
Parking is terrible. There is...
Parking is terrible. There is absolutely nowhere to park legally on campus if you’re a student. You get a permit for your dorm lot, but that aside, there’s almost nowhere to park during the day or evening before 10 p.m. There are a lot of spaces; they’re just reserved. However, you will always have a spot in your dorm lot. The north and west campus lots are never full. |
Anonymous says: |
Parking is a tad expensive and can...
Parking is a tad expensive and can get crazy at times. The ticket monsters do their jobs well. I’ve adjusted; you learn where you can park and where you can’t. Some apartments have parking included in the rent—it’s something you have to check out. There is a lot of parking on the street. |
Anonymous says: |
It’s expensive. There are a few...
It’s expensive. There are a few pay lots. You’ll get tickets if you park where you shouldn’t. Invest in a bus pass, since you can get anywhere using T-Cat’s transportation. The campus is big, but you can walk—places are very accessible. I rode my bike a lot, and buses work well. |
Did You Know?
Best Places to Find a Parking Spot:
• Friedman Pay Lot
• Willard Straight Pay Lot
• North and West Campus
Good Luck Getting a Parking Spot Here!
Central campus, during peak hours, is difficult to find a legal place near any of your classes. Parking is much easier to find in the pay lots, which are usually less packed, but they are always a longer walk from central localities.
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