Harvard Endowment - 37.5B. Yale - 25.5B. Penn - 10.13B. Cornell - 6B (as you said). Harvard Undergraduates - 6,700. Yale - 5,500. Penn - 10,500. Cornell - 14,0

Harvard Endowment - 37.5B. Yale - 25.5B. Penn - 10.13B. Cornell - 6B (as you said). Harvard Undergraduates - 6,700. Yale - 5,500. Penn - 10,500. Cornell - 14,000. Maybe it's because Cornell has less money and more students than the other schools you listed? Spending 4% a year, that gives Cornell about 17k per student. It doesn't sound unreasonable to think that's just not enough to cover the tab.