Supplementary Materials

We encourage you to convey the breadth and depth of your extracurricular pursuits within the activities section of your admission application—including the full name of each organization in which you participate and a brief description of your involvement. While we request that the volume of supplementary credentials be kept to a minimum, there may be occasions where such credentials provide valuable information that the standard application does not. 

Please note that supplements are not a required part of our admissions process. If you plan to submit supplementary credentials, please follow the instructions below.

Types of submissions

Columbia Undergraduate Admissions welcomes a variety of supplementary materials that can enhance our understanding during the application process. Please note that all supplements are entirely optional and not required for our review process. 

Academic research

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. Links provided in any other section of the application (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, websites, etc.) will not be reviewed.

If you are submitting an abstract, you will also be asked to answer a few short questions on the circumstances of your research experience, the duration of your involvement, your specific role in and contributions to the 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 or via mail to Undergraduate Admissions.

Creative portfolios

You may wish to submit a supplementary artistic portfolio if you intend to bring creative talents to Columbia’s campus either through a major and/or extracurricular opportunities. Most students who choose to submit a creative portfolio have achievements at the local, state, national or international level related to their craft and have devoted a significant amount of time and energy to their art form(s). 

Supplements are entirely optional and not required for the admissions process, unless you are applying to the Columbia-Juilliard Program. Students will have access to the arts communities and facilities, and are able to participate in the arts communities of Columbia regardless of supplement submissions or majors. Live music auditions are not part of Columbia’s admissions process, but auditions for private lessons and certain selective ensembles, troupes and various productions are held for enrolled students at the start of each academic year. 

Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts, Film, Music and Visual Arts supplements can be submitted through Columbia's SlideRoom portal. On Slideroom, make sure to select the portfolio type that corresponds to the application (CommonApp, Coalition or QuestBridge) that you will submit to Columbia. 

You will be asked to provide a creative sample. Some portfolios also require a PDF copy of a resume that describes your experience and recognition in your creative discipline. In addition, each portfolio requires you to list the name and contact information of a reference who may be contacted to corroborate your depth of talent in and/or dedication to your creative discipline. Examples of appropriate references may include, but are not limited to: club or activity supervisors, in-school teachers, private instructors, internship or job supervisors, and mentors.

Each submission also incurs a processing fee, to be paid at the time of submission. If paying the submission fee is a financial burden for your family, we encourage you to request a fee waiver by emailing ugrad-slideroom@columbia.edu prior to submitting your SlideRoom portfolio. Please note that all fees are waived for QuestBridge applicants automatically. Additional instructions for a SlideRoom fee waiver can be found on the SlideRoom portal.

Portfolio	Submission Specifications	Resume	Fee
Architecture	Up to 10 digital images or models that highlight your best work. Images may be submitted only in JPG, PNG or GIF formats, up to 5 MB each. 3D models may be submitted via Sketchfab. Specify the title, year and medium for each submission.	Optional	$10
Creative Writing	A PDF document of your sample creative writing in any of the following areas: poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction. Do not submit journalism samples or full books. Submissions should not exceed 5 pages and files may be up to 10 MB.	Required	$5
Dance	A video sample of your dance performance between 4 to 6 minutes in length. List your name, title of the piece, choreographer, music composer/title, and the place and date of your performance. If not a solo recording, also indicate your performance in the description section of the media details. You may upload a video file no larger than 250 MB or provide a link to a video hosting site (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo). Videos should not include any biographical or introductory material. Submissions should reflect material filmed within the last two years.	Required	$5
Drama & Theatre Arts	Either a video sample (theatrical performance, directing, design, or playwriting), or a PDF document (a script or a portfolio demonstrating contributions in directing or design). If providing a video, you may upload a file no larger than 250 MB or provide a link to a video hosting site (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo). Videos should not include any biographical or introductory material. If providing a PDF, the file may be up to 10 MB.	Required	$5
Film	Either a video sample of your film work, up to 10 minutes in length, or a PDF document of a screenplay. If providing a video, you may upload a video file no larger than 250 MB or provide a link to a video hosting site (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo). Videos should not include any biographical or introductory material. List your name and role in the production in the description section of the media details. If providing a PDF, the file may be up to 10 MB.	Required	$5
Music (Performance)	Two video samples of works contrasting in period and tempo (orchestral instruments, jazz and world music instruments, piano, voice and non-orchestral instruments, such as classical guitar). List the composer, name of the work, instrument performed and year recorded. If not a solo recording, please indicate your performance in the description section of the media details. The combined length of recordings should not exceed 20 minutes. Recordings should not include any biographical or introductory material. Video must be provided via a video hosting site link (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo) or uploaded as a file no larger than 250 MB.	Required	$5
Music (Composition)	Either a video sample or a PDF document of sheet music. List the name of the work, instrument performed and year composed. If providing a video, the recording should not exceed 20 minutes. Video must be provided via a video hosting site link (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo) or uploaded as a file no larger than 250 MB. If providing a PDF, the file may be up to 10 MB.	Required	$5
Visual Arts	Up to 20 images that highlight the best work in your portfolio. Images may be submitted only in JPG, PNG or GIF formats, up to 5 MB each. Please specify the title, year and medium for each submission.	Optional	$10

 

Maker portfolio

The Maker portfolio is an opportunity for students to highlight completed or ongoing projects that they have built, fabricated, invented, produced, or otherwise created. These projects should demonstrate creativity and ingenuity, technical ability and hands-on problem solving.  

Portfolios can include up to 4 media items, documenting one or several projects. Accepted formats include images (up to 5MB each), video (up to 250 MB each), 3D models via Sketchfab, audio files (up to 30 MB each), PDF documents (up to 10MB each) and linked media on YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud. Submitted media can reflect any step in the design process, from blueprints and specifications, through demonstrations of completed work. Students will also be asked to answer a few short questions about the duration of their project, their specific role in and contributions to the project, and contact information of a mentor or advisor who can speak to this creative work. 

Maker portfolio supplements can be submitted through Columbia's SlideRoom portal. On Slideroom, make sure to select the portfolio type that corresponds to the application (CommonApp, Coalition or QuestBridge) that you will submit to Columbia.

Each submission also incurs a processing fee, to be paid at the time of submission. If paying the submission fee is a financial burden for your family, we encourage you to request a fee waiver by emailing ugrad-slideroom@columbia.edu prior to submitting your SlideRoom portfolio. Please note that all fees are waived for QuestBridge applicants automatically. Additional instructions for a SlideRoom fee waiver can be found on the SlideRoom portal.

Schoolhouse.world certifications

Applicants to Columbia are welcome to submit Schoolhouse.world portfolios and certifications in any subject as an optional supplement to their application. Schoolhouse.world is a platform for free, peer-to-peer tutoring where students can receive live help, build their academic skills, and become a tutor themselves. While these credentials do not generally fulfill official requirements like transcripts and letters of recommendation, they can be a great opportunity for students who wish to learn or show competencies in subjects not offered as part of their school curriculum, particularly in math.

Additionally, Columbia welcomes the submission of portfolios and certifications of completion from applicants who engage in the Dialogues program. The ability to engage in civil discourse is an important component of any student’s success at Columbia. This program provides an opportunity for you to build your skills in engaging with differences of opinion and demonstrate your readiness to engage in civil discourse on campus.

If you are planning to submit a Schoolhouse.world portfolio for the Dialogues program or a coursework certification, we ask you to note this in the Additional Information section of your application and provide the portfolio and/or certification via the applicant portal or by email to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu. Certifications should be dated within 18 months of submission.

Proficiency in Calculus, Physics, Pre-Calculus and Statistics

In certain scenarios, a Schoolhouse.world certification will be evaluated as if it had been included on the student’s high school transcript, as the equivalent of successfully completing a course with similar content and rigor within a secondary school setting. Specifically, Columbia accepts certifications from Schoolhouse.world to show competency in Physics, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics, if the subject was not available to an applicant in a classroom setting. Please note that Schoolhouse.world coursework certifications are only accepted if the equivalent course is not taught at your school and is not available to you through a dual enrollment option, or if a dual enrollment option is cost-prohibitive to your participation.

Applicants intending to pursue this option should be prepared to devote significant time towards completing the certification. You must complete the learning challenge for the entire course and receive a 90% or above on the course challenge in order for Columbia to evaluate your proficiency in the subject. 

 

Dates & deadlines

Early Decision applicants must submit their supplements by November 1 and Regular Decision applicants must submit their supplements by January 1. Transfer Applicants must submit their supplements by March 1.

Other considerations

We specifically ask that you do not send collections of awards or certificates, and we explicitly direct that you refrain from submitting or mailing any type of supplementary materials in binders or folders. Do not send CDs, DVDs or hard copies of any materials, as they will not be reviewed.

Finally, please be advised that we can provide no guarantee that all materials will be reviewed or evaluated, as they are not required for the admission process.