 Historically , Cornell 's colleges have operated with great autonomy , each with a separate admissions policy , separate faculty , separate fundraising staff and in many cases , separate tuition structure . However , the University has taken steps to encourage collaboration between related academic fields within the University and with outside organizations . In the 1960s , the University created a Division of Biological Sciences to unify related programs in the Art and Agriculture colleges . Although a success , the structure was ultimately dropped in 1999 due to difficulty with funding . 
