FAQs

Columbia has an agreement with the Navy to offer a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program. As part of the NYC NROTC program, Columbia students complete their training at the SUNY Maritime campus, participating in Naval Science classes, military training and physical training. Graduates serve in the Navy or Marine Corps as officers and receive tuition and fees from the Navy during their time at Columbia.

Candidates interested in this program should apply both for the NROTC National Scholarship and for admission to Columbia simultaneously, taking note of NROTC entrance requirements. More information on the NROTC program can be found on Columbia's website or the official NROTC website and questions may directed to nrotc@columbia.edu  or (212) 851-9960.

Columbia also offers students the opportunity to participate in Army and Air Force ROTC programs through cross-town affiliations with other programs. More information can be found on the Columbia ROTC website.

For First-Year applicants: Columbia requires that applicants using the Coalition Application submit an essay, using the prompts and information found on Scoir.

For Transfer applicants: Transfer applicants will not use the Coalition Essay found in the Scoir application. Transfer applicants will be asked to upload a 400-600 word essay on the Columbia Supplement to the Coalition Application responding to the following prompt: Please explain why you are interested in transferring from your current institution. (The personal essay does not need to be specific to Columbia, but it should inform the committee why you wish to leave your current institution.)

Yes. The Center for Student Advising provides free peer tutoring for specific courses, and Peer Academic Skills Consultants help students develop effective learning strategies. The renowned Writing Center assists students with their academic writing through one-on-one consultations and workshops. 

Students are expected to graduate within eight semesters, including time spent at another college or university. Students are typically not permitted to extend their undergraduate studies unless they are enrolled in one of our Joint Degree programs (e.g. the Combined Plan).

You cannot study part-time in either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. If you wish to study part-time, you must apply to the School of General Studies.

Not necessarily. Columbia's graduate schools make admissions decisions independent of those decisions made for admission to Columbia College or to Columbia Engineering; students who graduate from Columbia's undergraduate programs are not given any automatic preference at the graduate schools. However, many Columbia graduates do choose to continue their professional education at Columbia.

Should you require assistance with the Scoir platform, we encourage you to review their Frequently Asked Questions or visit their help center.

Should you require assistance with the Columbia Supplement to the Coalition Application, please email ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu.

Yes. A candidate who has been offered first-year admission may ask to defer enrollment for a year to work, travel, complete mandatory military service or pursue a special opportunity. First-year students admitted off the waitlist cannot request a deferral, and a deferral in order to enroll full-time at another college or university cannot be requested. First-year students will receive information on how to request a deferral after submitting their response form on their application status portal. A second year of deferral may be granted upon request.

Transfer and Combined Plan students are not permitted to defer their admission. Visiting students are permitted to defer their admission to a future term through the submission of the response form on their application status portal.

If a candidate is offered admission, Columbia reserves the right to withdraw that offer of admission if:

• The candidate shows a significant drop in academic performance or fails to graduate from secondary/high school.
• The candidate has misrepresented themselves in the application process.
• We learn that the candidate has engaged in behavior prior to matriculation that indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity.
• The candidate is holding both a place at Columbia and a place in the first-year class of a college other than Columbia after the May 1 deadline.

Columbia further reserves the right to require the applicant to provide additional information (and/or authorization for the release of information) about any such matter.

Columbia places extremely compelling candidates on a waitlist to be considered for admission if spots in the entering class become available. Every year, the number of spots that become available is different.

We do not rank our waiting list, and all candidates are reconsidered for admission if space does become available. We encourage students to submit an additional one-page statement expressing interest in the waitlist. Additional submissions, including extra letters of recommendation, are discouraged by the Committee on Admissions.

No. If your application to Columbia is denied, that decision is final. There is no appeal process for admissions decisions, and applicants are not reconsidered for admission. Every application receives a review from members of the professional admissions staff. Because we do feel confident that our decisions, however difficult, are commitments that we make only after the care and deliberation that all our candidates deserve, we cannot accept any requests for reconsideration of these decisions.

No. If you apply under the Early Decision program and are denied admission, you may not reapply to Columbia College, Columbia Engineering or the School of General Studies again that year.

It is your choice whether to apply during your final year of secondary school or during your gap year/obligatory service, but keep in mind that first-year students may enter Columbia only in September. You may prefer to apply to Columbia while you are still in secondary school and you have your counselors and teachers near at hand when you are arranging for transcripts, recommendations and other credentials to be submitted. If admitted, students performing mandatory service will receive a deferral, and other requests for deferral related to gap years will be considered at the time of admission. On the other hand, you may wish to apply during your time of service or gap year in case it brings you additional self-awareness and life experiences that you feel may make your candidacy more compelling.

If you apply to Columbia during your final year of secondary school and are not admitted, then you may apply again during your gap year or obligatory service. That is permitted only if you are not holding a place at another college or university anywhere in the world.

No, for most candidates. We do not accept applications for January/spring enrollment from First-Year, Transfer or Combined Plan Program applicants. Only Visiting Student candidates may apply for January/spring enrollment.

Homeschooled students receive the same evaluation as other Columbia applicants—every application receives the careful attention of several members of the professional admissions staff, and decisions are made only after review by the Committee on Admissions. 

Homeschooled students should follow our Testing Policy. Advanced Placement (AP), SAT Subject Tests and other optional subject-proficiency exams are not required by Columbia, but we will accept your results if you choose to submit them in the testing section of your Common Application or Coalition Application. While you will not be at a disadvantage in our admissions process should you choose not to take these optional tests or submit the results, your scores can assist the Committee on Admissions in evaluating content knowledge and mastery in individual disciplines.

Early admission is occasionally granted to students of special promise who are completing the junior year of secondary/high school and who meet the following requirements:

• an outstanding academic record
• the physical, intellectual and emotional maturity to handle the rigorous program at Columbia
• the graduation requirements of their secondary/high schools.

Applicants for early admission should follow the normal instructions for applying, but should indicate they are applying for early admission under the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application or Coalition Application.

The answer depends on a number of factors, so pay careful attention to the distinctions below. You should also consult the instructions in the application itself. If you are still unsure of your status after reviewing these conditions, please contact us by phone at 212-854-2522.

The distinctions below apply to all candidates as specified, regardless of citizenship, visa status or need for financial aid. If you are enrolled at a college or university overseas that follows a U.S.-style curriculum (e.g., the American University of Paris), then you should follow the same policy as a student at a college or university in the United States.

Prospective Columbia Engineering Applicants

A gap in your schooling, whether for military service or any other reason, does not affect your admissions status as delineated in these distinctions.

1. If you have not already spent a full academic year or more in a college/university in the United States or Canada, then you must apply to Columbia Engineering as a first-year student.
2. If you have already spent a full academic year or more in a university in the United States or Canada, then you must apply to Columbia Engineering as a transfer student.
3. If you have spent more than two full academic years in a college/university in the United States or Canada, then you are no longer eligible to apply to Columbia Engineering as an undergraduate at all.
4. If you have spent a full academic year or less in a university outside the United States or Canada, then you must still apply to Columbia Engineering as a first-year student.
5. If you have spent more than a full academic year in a university outside the United States or Canada, then you are no longer eligible to apply to Columbia Engineering as an undergraduate at all.

Prospective Columbia College Applicants

I. If you have had no interruptions in your schooling of more than one academic year in total, or if the interruption in your schooling has been for the minimum length of your country’s mandatory military service:

1. If you have not already spent a full academic year or more in a college/university in the United or Canada, then you must apply to Columbia College as a first-year student.
2. If you have already spent a full academic year or more in a college/university in the United States or Canada, then you must apply to Columbia College as a transfer student.
3. If you have spent more than two full academic years in a college/university in the United States or Canada, then you are no longer eligible to apply to Columbia College as an undergraduate at all. (See paragraph II.)
4. If you have already spent a full academic year or less in a college/university outside the United States or Canada, then you must apply to Columbia College as a first-year student.
5. If you have already spent more than a full academic year in a college/university outside the United States or Canada, then you are no longer eligible to apply to Columbia College as an undergraduate at all. (See paragraph II.)

II. If you have had any interruptions in your schooling of more than one academic year, or if you have been referred here by item I.3 or I.5 above, then you are strongly advised to apply instead to Columbia University’s School of General Studies, Columbia’s college for nontraditional students who want to earn a degree while attending full- or part-time. Nontraditional students have had a break of one year or more in their educational paths or have compelling personal or professional reasons for completing their bachelor’s degrees part-time. Students in the School of General Studies take the same courses with the same faculty and pursue the same majors as all other undergraduates at Columbia. Find information on applying either as a first-year student or as a transfer to the School of General Studies. Financial aid is available to all candidates who qualify.

If the foregoing criteria apply to you, you may still apply to Columbia College if you insist, but you should be aware that you are doing so at a great disadvantage and that your acceptance is extremely unlikely.

Prior to enrollment, students admitted to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering must submit documentation of completion of their secondary/high school requirements, which includes the final transcript with date of graduation. If applicable, International Baccalaureate, GCE Advanced Level or nationally recognized high school graduation examination results must also be provided. Transcripts should be sent directly from the secondary/high school. Alternatively, a GED or TASC credential with a passing score may be submitted.

The financial aid application process collects information about your family's income, assets, family composition and other circumstances. All requirements and submission instructions are detailed on the Financial Aid & Educational Financing website. Learn more about affordability and aid at Columbia.

All applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States, as well as students granted refugee visas by the United States, DACA recipients and undocumented students, are read in a need-blind manner, no matter where they attend school or where they reside. The term “need-blind” means financial need has no bearing on the admissions decision.

All other applicants are evaluated in a need-aware manner, which means that the admissions committee takes into consideration how much financial aid a student requires when rendering an admissions decision.

Columbia is committed to meeting the full need of all applicants admitted as first-year, transfer and Combined Plan students, regardless of citizenship. Columbia admits a large number of international students who receive a substantial amount of financial aid.

The most recent Cost of Attendance figures—including tuition, room and board, mandatory fees and other expenses—are listed on the Financial Aid & Educational Financing website.

Columbia meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted first-year students, regardless of citizenship and whether they applied through Early Decision or Regular Decision. Some families may think that their chances for financial aid might be worse when applying early, or that they should not ask for financial aid in the Early Decision process. Please be reassured that both the Early and Regular Decision processes are need-blind for US citizens and permanent residents, refugees and asylum-seekers, DACA recipients and undocumented students. Financial aid packages are not any more or less comprehensive in the Early Decision process.

We know Early Decision candidates have made Columbia their first choice, and we make every effort to help these families finance a Columbia education. If, after receiving the estimated Early Decision financial aid offer, an admitted student's family has concerns about meeting the expected family contribution, we encourage the family to contact Financial Aid & Educational Financing and speak with one of our counselors.

It is extremely rare for a family to ask to be released from the Early Decision commitment for financial reasons. If a family determines after discussion with Financial Aid & Educational Financing that they cannot afford to finance a Columbia education, the admitted candidate can be released from the Early Decision agreement. The family must speak with a financial aid officer before the release is granted. Ultimately, it is the family's decision whether or not they feel capable of accepting the need-based Columbia financial aid award.

Those who do opt out of their Early Decision contract are released to pursue other colleges and universities; the admission offer at Columbia University is then cancelled. A candidate who declines Columbia's Early Decision offer will not be allowed to reconsider Columbia's financial aid estimate in the spring Regular Decision cycle and will not be able to reinstate the original offer of admission.

Application fee waivers can be requested directly through the Common App or Coalition Application by Scoir by selecting the indicator of financial need that most closely matches your circumstances. Please review a sample of eligibility guidelines on the Common App. Columbia additionally offers a separate fee waiver for students who may not qualify through the Common App or Coalition Application by Scoir, including international students. Please review Application Fees and Fee Waivers to learn more and determine your fee waiver eligibility using our form. While supporting documentation from a school official or other third party is welcome, it is not required. Columbia will grant all eligible fee waiver requests automatically.

The CSS Profile service provides fee waivers to qualifying domestic first-time, first-year students from families with low incomes and limited assets. 

Eligibility for fee waivers is automatically assessed at the time you submit the CSS Profile, and the waiver covers the costs of the registration fee for up to eight school reports.  Please contact the College Board with any additional questions regarding CSS Profile fee waivers.

Columbia does not offer additional CSS Profile fee waivers to domestic students. Please review our information on application fee waivers.

Yes, under certain circumstances. US citizens and permanent residents, refugees and asylum-seekers, DACA recipients and undocumented students whose family experiences a change in circumstances may apply for financial aid at any time. For example, a family may suffer a job loss or illness, or a younger sibling may begin attending college. Please note, however, that not every change in circumstances may qualify a family for institutional aid. It is a good idea to include a letter describing your family’s change in circumstances with any new financial aid application.

An international student whose family experiences a severe and unforeseen change in circumstances may apply for financial aid at any time, and such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but international students who are not US citizens or permanent residents, refugees or asylum-seekers, DACA recipients or undocumented are not guaranteed institutional financial aid even if there is a change in circumstances.

International students who are admitted with no request for Columbia financial aid may not change their status to apply for aid at any time during their four years at Columbia. An international student whose family experiences a severe and unforeseen change in circumstances may apply for financial aid at any time, and such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you are an international student who is admitted without institutional financial aid, Columbia cannot guarantee institutional financial aid even if there is a change in your family’s circumstances.

Tours and virtual information sessions, as well as other virtual events, are offered throughout the year on a varying schedule. All Columbia Undergraduate Admissions events require registration ahead of time. Please note that Columbia does not offer an in-person information session.

Campus tours and other programming are usually not available during University holidays, academic breaks or examination study days, according to the Columbia University Academic Calendar. Please consult our Campus Visit and Virtual Visit calendars to register for events and plan your visit experience, or check out our virtual tour if you are unable to visit campus during a tour time.

Columbia University is located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City. It is easily accessible by public transportation, including from regional airports. Please consult our Campus Visits page to learn how to get to campus through a variety of transit methods.

As of Friday, January 26, 2024, the Columbia University Visitors Center has temporarily relocated to Hepburn Lounge in Uris Hall. Guests should enter through the southeast corner terrace, across from Schermerhorn Hall. Read more about this relocation.

Guests should go to the Visitors Center for all questions regarding Columbia, including checking in for campus tours.

Undergraduate Admissions is located at Hamilton Hall 212. Hamilton Hall is on the southeast corner of College Walk at the heart of campus.

Current student workers and interns for Undergraduate Admissions welcome your questions. To speak with a student directly, please email askastudent@columbia.edu. Get to know some of our Undergraduate Admissions Interns on the Meet Our Students page.

Undergraduate Admissions works closely with faculty, and we collaborate for both admissions review and in outreach to admitted students, but we are unable to facilitate conversations or meetings with faculty members or departments. As prospective students, we encourage you to direct specific academic questions to Undergraduate Admissions at ugrad-ask@columbia.edu.

Please visit the Columbia Athletics website, click on the "Recruiting" tab, and scroll down to select "Recruiting Questionnaire" to complete the form that will be sent to the team's coaches.

There are a number of hotels within an accessible distance from campus. For information on Columbia University deals with local hotels, as well as addresses and phone numbers to other budget accommodations, please see our Campus Visit page.

Columbia provides self-guided walking tours in three other languages to accommodate families. Copies of these self-guided walking tours—in Spanish, French and Chinese, as well as in English—are available on the Visitors Center website.

Columbia’s admissions application process is largely the same for all students, regardless of their citizenship or country of residence. Please see our Application Instructions for more information on procedures and requirements, and Understanding the Process for details on how our office reviews applications and distinguishes candidates.

Please visit International Applicants for more information on school curricula and English language proficiency requirements.

Applications are reviewed by region. The Committee on Admissions has read and evaluated applications from all over the world and is familiar with a variety of school systems and transcripts. Included with the secondary school report is a "school profile," which includes a description of the school, grading system and curricular and extracurricular resources. If we need more information to make an informed decision or have any questions, we will contact an applicant's school and to do our own research.

Any documents that are part of your application file and not in English, such as transcripts or recommendations, need to be officially translated into English and submitted along with the original documents.

For more information, please visit International Applicants.

Many students in countries outside the United States do not have guidance or college counselors. At US-style secondary schools, counselors are responsible for important parts of the application: submitting the secondary school report, the official school transcript and the midyear report. They also write a letter of recommendation for applicants. If you do not have a counselor, these parts of the application can be completed by a principal or director of school — essentially a school official who is able to comment on your academic ability, extracurricular activities and personal qualities within the context of your entire school community.

United States citizens are considered domestic applicants for the purpose of financial aid, and, as such, are always reviewed in a need-blind manner. However, all applicants are considered within both the context of their secondary school and the context of their personal experiences, including where they have lived and their cultural background. The Committee on Admissions recognizes that regardless of citizenship, living and/or attending school in a country outside the United States provides a student with the opportunity for an international experience. As a result, applicants are not simply placed into international or domestic categories based on citizenship or place of schooling during the application review process beyond need-blind or need-aware review.

To be considered for admission to Columbia, you must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. There are several different ways to demonstrate that you are proficient in English on your application:

1. Your home language is English.
2. Your primary language of instruction at school has been English for the duration of your secondary school career.
3. You earned one or more of the following subsection scores:
   • 700 or higher on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT
   • 29 or higher on the English or Reading sections of the ACT

If you meet one or more of the above criteria, you have fulfilled Columbia’s English language proficiency requirement. If you do not, you will need to take one of the following English Language Proficiency exams:

1. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): A minimum score of 105 (Internet-based test) is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia by the testing service, using report code 2116.
2. IELTS (International English Language Testing System): A minimum score of 7.5 is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.
3. DET (Duolingo English Test): A minimum score of 135 is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.
4. Cambridge English Qualifications: A minimum score of 191 on the current C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency Cambridge English Exams is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.

Columbia does not accept other English Language Proficiency exams at this time.

Please note that our required testing for English language proficiency is in addition to our Test Policy. Please see English Language Proficiency for more information.

We will accept online results from the TOEFL and IELTS examinations. Please refer to the following websites for more information:

• IELTS Indicator: https://www.ieltsindicator.com/ 
• TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/at-home/
• TOEFL IPT Plus for China: https://toefl.cn/family-itp.php

We also continue to accept the Duolingo English Test.  However, please note that there are a variety of ways to meet our English Language Proficiency requirement, and you can find additional details on our English Language Proficiency page.

Interviews are not a part of Columbia's admissions process. Please see the announcement from May 18, 2023.

Applicants to Columbia can elect to send InitialView or Vericant conversational videos to emphasize language fluency. These videos should be scheduled, completed and submitted to Columbia by November 15 for Early Decision or January 15 for Regular Decision.

Yes. International students are welcome to apply Early Decision. However, even very competitive international candidates who are applying for financial aid and fall out of the “need-blind” category may be deferred to Regular Decision so the Committee on Admissions can review the entire global applicant pool.

Yes. Columbia admits students without regard to citizenship status. Additionally, for admissions purposes, undocumented students are evaluated under our general need-blind policy, which means we evaluate admissions applications without regard to financial need.

Yes. Columbia is committed to meeting 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all students admitted as first-year, transfer or Combined Plan students, regardless of citizenship status. Any admitted student who is not eligible to receive federal and state financial aid, such as undocumented and international students, will have their need entirely covered by Columbia institutional funding. For admissions purposes, undocumented students are evaluated in our general need-blind manner, which means we evaluate admissions applications without regard to financial need.

Yes. Some advanced placement within programs of study or credit towards the degree may be granted for nationally or internationally standardized examinations, including but not limited to International Baccalaureate, British Advanced Level and Pre-U Examinations. Credit is determined and approved by a student’s academic adviser from the Berick Center for Student Advising after a student is enrolled at Columbia. 

Please see International Applicants for more information. Specific questions about advanced credit should be directed to a student’s academic adviser once a student has matriculated.

Columbia University does not work with any admissions agent who expects compensation from a college or university. Undergraduate Admissions is pleased to work directly with applicants and their families, with their school officials and with a variety of government and non-profit community-based organizations in the United States and abroad. While we respect the work of independent educational consultants, we expect them to adhere to the highest standards of professional ethics.

There are steps that both Columbia and the student are responsible for in order to receive an F-1 entry visa to the United States.

Columbia University will:

• Upon acceptance provide you with an Application for Visa Certificate (AVC), otherwise known as Form I-20.
• Issue an authentic I-20 after an AVC has been approved.

The student must:

• Hold a current passport valid at least six months into the future at all times.
• Officially register with Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), pay the $100.00 USD fee and print the receipt.
• Make a visa appointment at a US Consulate. Bring your official letter of acceptance, any financial aid award letter and funds validation letter from your bank, Columbia issued I-20, SEVIS receipt and a passport-sized photo.
• Review the visa once issued to check for correctness. Make sure you have the original copy of the I-20 for entry to the US.

Please visit the International Students and Scholars Office website for more information.

The QuestBridge website lists all of Columbia's admissions requirements to be eligible for the National College Match. Please do not submit a Common or Coalition Application if you are applying as part of the National College Match.

Admissions Requirements: In addition to the materials submitted as part of your QuestBridge application, we require our Columbia QuestBridge Questionnaire. The Columbia QuestBridge Questionnaire can be accessed via your application status page and is due on November 1.

Columbia will accept the SAT and ACT scores included as part of your QuestBridge application. Self-reported scores are accepted, though please note that our office will verify scores for all enrolling students, and any discrepancies between official and self-reported scores may jeopardize a student's place in the class. Any new or updated scores may be uploaded through the application status page. Columbia is test-optional for applicants in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

Financial Aid Requirements: All students that rank Columbia through the National College Match must submit the following financial aid information by November 1:

• 2023-2024 FAFSA. Columbia's FAFSA code is 002707.
• 2023-2024 CSS Profile (including Noncustodial Profile, if applicable). Columbia's CSS code is 2116.
• 2021 Tax Returns & W2s; and parents' or guardians' most recent 2021 pay stubs. These documents should be uploaded to College Board's Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC).
• Please note that the FAFSA and CSS Profile will become available on October 1.

Yes. The National College Match at Columbia University is binding. If you are admitted to Columbia through the National College Match, you are expected to attend.