Students can apply for the Combined Plan program in their junior (3-2 program) or senior (4-2) year of undergraduate study. High school students do not apply until they are enrolled in an undergraduate institution, and should contact their prospective institution(s) for more information.

Please contact the Graduate Student Services office for more information about the 4-2 Master of Science program, as that is not administered by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Students who attend affiliated liberal arts schools must meet the requirements listed below to earn guaranteed admission. In addition to guaranteed admission, we offer an application review process, so students who do not meet these requirements or who attend non-affiliate schools are welcome to apply. The requirements for guaranteed admission should serve as guidelines for this review process.

To see if the Combined Plan program is for you, learn more about Engineering at Columbia and the Combined Plan Experience.

Requirements for Guaranteed Admission

Candidates who began at an affiliate school in fall 2011 or later:

1. Full-time enrollment at an affiliated school for at least the past two years
2. An overall and pre-engineering GPA of 3.30 or higher, as calculated by Columbia. Additionally, the minimum grade for each pre-engineering science or math course must be a B (3.0) or better on the first attempt.
3. Three favorable recommendations: one each from your institution’s Combined Plan liaison, math instructor and science instructor
4. Successful completion, by the end of the spring semester in which you are applying, of the specific prerequisite courses for your intended major as listed in the Pre-Combined Plan Curriculum Guide
5. Completion (before entering Columbia) of the major and distribution requirements prescribed by your home institution for graduation

Candidates who began at an affiliate school prior to fall 2011:

The above requirements are the same except for #2. The overall and pre-engineering GPA must be 3.0 or higher, and there are no minimum grades for required courses.

You should touch base with the liaison at your school in order to determine which classes fulfill Columbia pre-engineering foundation and major-specific courses.

Please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), on the right-hand side of this page, for more information.