Frequently Asked Questions

The Columbia University first-year class of College and Engineering students is chosen from a large and diverse group of applicants. Columbia employs a holistic approach in assessing candidates in order to evaluate which students are the best matches for Columbia's unique educational experience.

In the process of selection, the Committee on Admissions considers each applicant's academic potential, intellectual strength and ability to think independently. The Committee also considers the general attitudes and character of the applicant, special abilities and interests, maturity, motivation, curiosity and whether they are likely to make productive use of the four years at Columbia.

Admission to both Columbia College and Columbia Engineering is broad-based but highly selective, and the Committee on Admissions is only able to offer admission to a small fraction of all applicants. Columbia employs a holistic approach in assessing candidates in order to evaluate which students are the best matches for Columbia's unique educational experience. A profile of the current first-year class is available for reference. Please note that Columbia does not have a "cut-off" GPA or test score for applicants.

Admission for transfer students is also highly selective. Over the past decade, the Committee has admitted between 5% and 10% of transfer applicants each year.

Yes. After students declare their major in their sophomore year, they will be matched with a faculty adviser within their chosen department to help them explore their intellectual interests and develop their academic schedule.

Yes, students are allowed to take on more than one major. Doing so, however, is likely to require additional coursework and may not be possible in four years. The full policies are available in the Columbia College Bulletin and the Columbia Engineering Bulletin.

Columbia College: Columbia College has no explicit number of unit requirements for admission, but applicants must present evidence that they are prepared for college work in the humanities, mathematics, social sciences, foreign languages and natural sciences. Accordingly, Columbia College strongly recommends the following secondary school preparation:

• Four years of English literature and composition
• Four years of mathematics—unless you have already completed what is available at your school
• Three to four years of history and/or social studies
• Three to four years of laboratory science
• Three to four years of one world language (ancient or modern) taken during high school

Students who plan to become scientists, engineers, physicians or dentists should be as solidly grounded in mathematics and the sciences as their high school schedules and curricula have permitted. The study of mathematics, at least through pre-calculus, is strongly advised wherever possible.

Modifying the preparatory program just outlined—by taking more work in some subjects and less in others — is not only acceptable but may be desirable in individual cases. The vast majority of successful applicants to Columbia College have taken five academic courses per term for all four years of secondary/high school.

Columbia Engineering: The School of Engineering and Applied Science prescribes no standardized course of study for secondary school students applying for first-year admission. However, the Engineering curriculum is heavily driven by physics and calculus, so Columbia Engineering strongly advises these courses within the following recommended academic preparation:

• Four years of mathematics through calculus—unless you have already completed what is available at your school
• Four years of laboratory science, including one year of chemistry and one year of physics—preferably in the last two years of secondary school
• Four years of English literature and composition
• Three to four years of history and/or social studies
• Two to three years of a world language (ancient or modern) taken during high school

Professors lead every department-level course at Columbia. In the Core Curriculum, full-time professors teach the vast majority of the courses with select advanced graduate students, known as preceptors, leading some sections.

No. Columbia is test-optional and does not have a "cut-off" GPA or test score for applicants. Columbia employs a holistic approach in assessing candidates in order to evaluate which students are the best matches for Columbia's unique educational experience. For detailed information on the statistics of the most recent entering class, refer to the Class Profile.

74% of undergraduate classes taught at Columbia have 24 or fewer students. Columbia's Core Curriculum classes are small seminars and more advanced courses are meant to allow direct connection with faculty.

No. Columbia seeks to enroll students with unique achievements and talents as well as diverse economic, social and geographic backgrounds. Our undergraduate students come from all 50 states and over 110 different countries. We do not have any quotas for any particular population (i.e., race, ethnicity, religion, state, etc.). Applicants are compared to all other applicants, both regionally and globally. Learn more about Columbia's holistic admissions process.

No. Applicants to Columbia must choose either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering.

Columbia students usually take an average of 16 points (generally five classes) per semester. Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students must be registered full-time and therefore must take at least 12 points per semester. All students work with an adviser from the Berick Center for Student Advising to help design their courseload each semester.

First-year students register during orientation, the week prior to the start of classes for their first semester. First-year students will be automatically registered for appropriate Core Curriculum classes prior to orientation.

In subsequent years students are assigned a registration time during the preceding semester; this registration time gives seniority to junior and senior students, and times are distributed by lottery within each class year. Students then participate in online registration for the next semester's courses. The first two weeks of each semester are the "Change of Program period," which allows students to add and drop classes without registration appointments as they finalize their schedule.

For more particulars about the registration process, please consult the academic bulletins for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering.

If Columbia is your first-choice school — and you are willing to make a binding commitment to attend if admitted — we encourage you to consider applying Early Decision. Learn more about the Early Decision process.

Columbia College does not offer any specific preprofessional majors, such as "premed" or "prelaw." However, many students at Columbia aspire to professional fields and take courses, perform research and pursue internships in order to better understand their anticipated careers. For undergraduates who hope to apply to medical school, law school or other professional schools, Preprofessional Advising through the Berick Center for Student Advising will assist students in preparing for professional schools and work with them throughout the application process.

Online admissions document tracking is only available during certain times in the admissions process. Applicants will receive an email notifying them how to access their applicant portal. If, at that time, you discover that any items are listed as "not received/processed," please have your school submit a duplicate copy of this missing information to us via email at ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu as soon as possible. Emailed materials will take up to one week for processing. You will have time to submit the missing credentials before decisions are released without being penalized.

Columbia College is Columbia's traditional undergraduate liberal arts college; its founding in 1754 as King's College marks the birth of Columbia University.

Columbia Engineering is the University's engineering school, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students are served by many of the same campus resources for undergraduates, including Columbia Housing, the Berick Center for Student Advising and Undergraduate Student Life. Students interested in attending Columbia College or Columbia Engineering apply through Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.

Barnard College is a liberal arts college for women in partnership with Columbia University, located just across Broadway at 118th Street. Barnard College and Columbia College students may take department-level classes with either faculty, and some areas of study are housed on one campus but are open to both Barnard and Columbia students. Many campus facilities, such as libraries and dining halls, are open to students on both campuses, as are many student groups.

At Columbia College, Columbia Engineering and Barnard College, students usually come directly from high school and attend full-time.

The School of General Studies is 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 undertake the same majors as all other undergraduates at Columbia.

All four colleges are located on the Morningside Heights campus in New York City.

Any additions or corrections to the application must be submitted in writing either through the application status page or via email to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu. Please include the student's identifying information: name and high school/secondary school; Columbia ID number (C00...); and date of birth.

We will accept self-reported ACT and SAT scores on the testing section of the application and on your application status page. If you wish to provide updated scores after you have applied, you can do so on your application status page. We do not track Midyear Reports/senior grades or additional materials.

Yes. Columbia undergraduates may generally take up to four classes toward their degree in most of the graduate and professional schools at Columbia, with the exception of those at Columbia Law School and the Columbia Medical Center. Special restrictions may apply; please see the Columbia College Bulletin for more information.

We understand that students personally affected by natural disasters, community disturbances or other extenuating circumstances may have challenges in completing their applications on time; they are invited to email us at ugrad-ask@columbia.edu if their application will be arriving late.

Yes, if you are fluent in another language, and you pass the placement exam on campus, you may be exempt from the foreign language requirement.

The Columbia community is committed to environmental responsibility; in keeping with this commitment, we will provide some admissions decisions only online, not via regular mail. Applicants will receive specific instructions as to how to check their decisions online before decisions are released. The below timelines are followed for different admissions programs:

• Admission decisions for first-year candidates who apply Early Decision are typically available on or before December 15.
• Admission decisions for first-year candidates who apply Regular Decision are typically available on or before April 15.
• Admission decisions for transfer candidates are typically available by or before the end of May.
• Admissions decisions for Combined Plan Program candidates are available in the spring.
• Admissions decisions for Visiting Student Program candidates are available 4-6 weeks after complete application submission, as this is a rolling admissions program.

The Committee on Admissions will apply the same holistic review process to evaluate first-year candidates regardless of whether they submit the Common Application or the Coalition Application; there is no preference for one over the other. Please be aware that students must submit only one complete application, using either the Common Application or the Coalition Application.

Either the Common Application or the Coalition Application must be submitted by Columbia’s Early Decision deadline of November 1 or Regular Decision deadline of January 1.

Please note that transfer applicants must submit the Coalition Application. Combined Plan and Visiting Student applicants will apply directly with Columbia Undergraduate Admissions. 

Some placement, advanced standing or credit may be granted for national or international standardized examinations, including but not limited to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and 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. Please see the Columbia College Bulletin and Columbia Engineering Bulletin for more information.

Testing is just one factor in our holistic review process, and Columbia is test-optional for applicants applying to either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering.  If you choose to submit testing, you may take either the ACT or SAT. Columbia does not view one more favorably than the other. If you take both tests and submit scores from both, we will look at the highest score of the two. Refer to our standardized test policy for more information.

Columbia undergraduate students are guaranteed housing for all four years. In fact, nearly all undergraduates live on campus, and first-year students are required to live on campus. Housing at Columbia offers a wide variety of living opportunities—from corridor-style to apartment-style living, from residence halls in the middle of the main quad to those on quiet side streets only a five-minute walk to the center of campus.

Yes. Residence halls remain open over breaks during the academic year, and continuing students may apply to stay on campus during summer break through the Columbia Housing office.

Early Decision candidates: The November test date is the latest acceptable test date on which scores may reach us in time. Learn more about the Early Decision process.

Regular Decision candidates: Scores for February tests can be provided in time for consideration. Testing taken after February cannot be considered.

Columbia is test-optional, and you may self-report your testing. If you wish to provide updated scores after you have applied, you can submit your scores on your Columbia application status page. The page will only be available after you have submitted your application. 

February test-takers should email ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu to verify their decision to submit testing and provide their self-reported score as soon as results are released.

Columbia is first and foremost a residential college; first-year students are required to live on campus. Continuing students may choose to live off campus if they wish, but nearly all of the student body chooses to reside on campus through graduation, and housing is guaranteed for all four years.

The University-wide Office of Off-Campus Housing Assistance is available to support all affiliates seeking non-Columbia owned properties.

No! Please do not utilize the "rush" service in sending your test scores to Columbia. Doing so does not speed up the processing of your test scores. We encourage you to self-report your scores directly on testing section of your Common Application or Coalition Application. Refer to our standardized test policy for more information.

No. The SAT Subject Test and other optional standardized exam scores are not required, but Columbia will accept your results if you choose to submit them. You will not be at a disadvantage should you choose not to take these optional tests or submit the scores to Columbia.

Morningside Heights is a dynamic residential neighborhood filled with restaurants, cafes, shops and hangout spots. It is steps from the Hudson River and bordered by Central Park, Morningside Park and Riverside Park; all the resources of New York City are a short bike, bus or subway ride away.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) test results are not necessary for application to Columbia, although the information when available may be helpful in assessing a student's academic achievements. You may report your results on your Common Application or Coalition Application, or send us a copy of your score report(s).

Students who seek to gain credit for AP or IB results should know that credit is granted only after a student is enrolled at Columbia and at the discretion of individual departments.

Please note that proficiency exam scores must be submitted if they are required for the completion of, and graduation from, your secondary school. This may include internal and external exam results, such as A Level, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, and other final national exam results.

New York City has something for everyone, which is why it is so often rated as one of the best college towns in the nation. It is full of hidden treasures that offer an inexpensive, yet unique array of food, shopping and entertainment. Some of the most creative culinary experiences are intimate restaurants within a few blocks from campus. Websites such as NYC Visit's Go Local operate as a service for New Yorkers to get the most out of their city.

There are also a variety of email lists that help students gain free access to opportunities such as going to a major motion picture premiere. There are yearly bargains such as New York Restaurant Week, which gives students a budget-friendly taste of some of the finest establishments in the city. Columbia helps students explore the opportunities in New York by providing discounted and free tickets to many events around the city through the Columbia Arts Initiative.

We welcome an additional letter of recommendation if the writer has worked with you in a researcher or college course capacity. Any supplementary recommendations should not be completed on the Teacher Report forms of your application, but instead submitted directly by the recommender to our office via email to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu. Undergraduate Admissions discourages the submission of additional recommendations, as admissions decisions will be based primarily on the required recommendations from your high school teachers and secondary school counselor.

From the Columbia Arts Initiative (think free museum access and tickets to Broadway shows) to the Center for Career Education (careers fairs, thousands of internship listings and more), Columbia provides countless ways for you to connect with the incredible city that we call home. Hear directly from Columbia students to learn how they've made New York City their own.

Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts, Film, Maker, Music and Visual Arts supplements can be submitted through SlideRoom, an online platform that allows applicants to send digital materials to the Committee on Admissions. Do not send CDs, DVDs or hard copies of any materials, as they will not be reviewed. If you have completed academic research with a faculty member or mentor, a short abstract may be uploaded as part of your application. Learn more about supplementary materials.

Columbia is located directly on the #1 subway line and various bus routes. On the #1 train, students can get to Times Square in approximately 20 minutes, go uptown to Columbia's Medical Center in 15 minutes and get to Columbia's Baker Field Athletic Complex at the northern tip of Manhattan in 25 minutes. The #1 train connects to many other subway and bus lines throughout the city for easy transfers.

Although Morningside Heights is consistently named one of the safest precincts in New York City, the Department of Public Safety further ensures the security of Columbia's campus and its students. Columbia students have direct access to public New York City transit, which eliminates walking far distances to travel between campus and other locations. Should you feel unsafe in the neighborhood, you can ask the merchant at businesses featuring the Red Lion sticker in their windows to phone Columbia Public Safety or the police and wait for security personnel to respond.

If you have completed research with a faculty member or mentor in science, engineering or other academic disciplines (e.g., humanities, social sciences or languages), you are welcome to provide a one or two page abstract as a supplement to your application. You may upload your abstract in the Columbia-specific questions to the Common Application or in the Uploads page of the Coalition Application.

If you are submitting an abstract, you will also be asked to answer a few short questions on the duration of your research involvement, your specific role in and contributions to the research project, and contact information of your research mentor. This will help us better understand your specific research experience beyond what you may have already included in your other application materials.

We also welcome a letter of recommendation from your research mentor, who can send the letter via email to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu, via fax to 212-854-3393 or via mail to Undergraduate Admissions.

Columbia offers a wide variety of assistance for physically and learning disabled students. For more detailed information, visit Disability Services.

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

Columbia holds classes from early in the morning until late at night. This allows students to hold on-campus jobs, pursue internships in the city and adjust their schedules to make the most of their academic and extracurricular experience. Many students, moreover, have no classes on Fridays, so many Columbians use Fridays as an opportunity to pursue internships and other commitments. The Center for Career Education also provides students with opportunities for employment on and off campus.

Columbia strongly believes that students should be able to follow their passions and experience jobs and opportunities that will lead them toward their professional goals. Columbia supports students with unpaid internships in two distinct ways.

First, the Work Exemption Program (WEP) is part of the financial aid program for undergraduate students in Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. The program is designed to enable financial aid recipients to take advantage of such unpaid opportunities as internships, research projects and community outreach. Students have the option of applying for exemption from the summer savings portion of their financial aid package or exemptions from Federal Work Study during the academic year.

Second, all students at Columbia are encouraged to apply for the Summer Funding Program administered by the Center for Career Education. The Center of Career Education also offers an array of alternative funding sources for students that may help fund a summer internship or opportunity.

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) was established by the New York State Legislature in 1969 to assist eligible residents in obtaining higher education at New York private institutions. The National Opportunity Program (NOP) was created by Columbia in 1986 to provide the same kind of academic and financial support to students from all over the United States. Selection for the HEOP/NOP programs at Columbia involves meeting both academic and economic guidelines.

There are no additional application forms for HEOP/NOP; all eligible applicants to Columbia will be considered for these programs, but applicants may be contacted for a counseling conversation with a current student to discuss the nature of that particular admission process and advising program.

In order to be eligible for HEOP, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Reside in New York State and be high school graduates
• Demonstrate (through academic records) a need for HEOP support services
• Meet economic eligibility criteria set by the New York State Education Department

Economic documentation for HEOP/NOP

HEOP Economic Eligibility: Household income can be at or below the amounts listed for the number of family members, with the exception of the "single head of household" instruction. 

The primary criterion for admission to NOP is academic; there is no residency requirement and Columbia may select applicants for admission to NOP whose income levels exceed the HEOP criteria.

Although many of our NOP students demonstrate significant financial need, Columbia financial aid is determined on a case-by-case basis and we meet the full demonstrated financial need of all applicants admitted as first-year students. There are no academic, athletic or talent-based institutional scholarships at Columbia as all of our institutional financial aid is need-based. Students can estimate their eligibility for need-based financial aid by using the Net Price Calculator. Learn more about affordability and aid.

Please contact the Academic Success Program at 212-854-3514 or asp@columbia.edu with further questions or concerns.

Students may work part time on campus. There are a number of University offices who hire international students, including the University Libraries and the Columbia University Visitors Center.

Students are also eligible to work part-time during the academic year and full-time during vacation periods for international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, etc. When a student is particularly interested in full-time employment, sectors with foreign offices, larger legal departments or greater financial options often yield the best results. When students with international backgrounds do find a job, it is often one that utilizes language skill, global knowledge and so forth.

Practical training is employment in one's field of study. Optional Practical Training (OPT) is defined as “employment related to one’s field of study.” It offers you valuable opportunities to supplement your education through work experience in your field of study. For more specific information about volunteer or paid work as an undergraduate student at Columbia, please refer to  the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) as well as the Center for Career Education (CCE), which also maintains a database for searching for part-time jobs.

Please have your school submit the Mid-Year Report as soon as first quarter or first trimester grades are available if you are an Early Decision candidate; for Regular Decision candidates, as soon as first semester or second trimester grades are available. If your counselor wishes to email mid-year grades, they may send them directly to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu.

We request that Mid-Year Reports are submitted by February 1, or as soon as they are available. If you have completed high/secondary school at the time of application, it is not necessary to send in new documents. We do not track Mid-Year Reports/senior grades through the online tracking system.

Yes. Approximately 10-15% of undergraduate students are affiliated with fraternities or sororities. Over 25 chapters exist on campus, and many are housed in the brownstones and row houses that line 113th and 114th Streets.

Students can start Columbia’s application as part of the Coalition Application by navigating to Columbia's profile in Scoir. Please note that students who have not used Scoir before will be prompted to create an account and start their application. Once the Application Profile is complete on Scoir, students will be directed to the Columbia Supplement to the Coalition Application hosted by Columbia.

Please note that Coalition applications with an incomplete Columbia Supplement will not be considered submitted.

Yes. There are two Kosher Dining Plans available:

1. Columbia University Kosher Dining Plan

When you enroll in any of the Columbia Dining Plans (first year or otherwise), you may elect to participate in the Kosher Dining Plan. This allows you access to our Kosher To-Go counter within John Jay Dining Hall that serves a full array of Kosher items (entrees, side dishes and vegetables served daily). 

2. Barnard College Kosher Dining Plan

The Barnard College Kosher Dining Plan provides 3 kosher meals a day, 7 days a week. High quality food, including freshly-made pizza and a great salad bar, is conveniently located in Barnard's main dining facility, Hewitt Hall. Both Barnard and Columbia students can enjoy their meals in comfort with the rest of the student population. The Kosher dining plan is strictly supervised k'halakhah by the Columbia/Barnard Hillel Rabbi. Additionally, the Barnard Kosher Dining Plan provides a homey atmosphere for Shabbat, Yom Tov and other festive occasions. For more information, please contact Barnard Dining Services.