What high school classes and academic background are expected for Cornell's Hotel Administration major?

For Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the strongest applicants usually have a very solid core academic record first, not just business classes.

A good fit usually combines strong academics with some evidence that you understand hospitality, service, business, or leadership. That can come from coursework like economics, business, marketing, finance, or entrepreneurship, but those classes are helpful rather than required. Cornell is more likely to care that you challenged yourself in the context of your school and did well in rigorous classes.

Strong writing and communication also matter, so advanced English or history courses can help show that.

If your school offers AP, IB, honors, or dual-enrollment courses, taking a challenging version of the core subjects is a plus. But there is no single required “hotel management” track in high school.

Outside the classroom, relevant experience can strengthen your fit a lot. Jobs or activities in restaurants, events, customer service, travel, entrepreneurship, DECA, FBLA, or leadership roles can all make sense for Hotel Administration because they connect to hospitality’s focus on service, operations, and management.

So if you already have a mix of business-related and core academic classes, that can be a good foundation. The main thing is to show strong performance in rigorous core subjects, especially math, plus a clear interest in hospitality, service, or business through your choices in and out of school.