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.

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.

Types of submissions

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, via fax to 212-854-3393, or via mail to Undergraduate Admissions.

Creative Portfolios

You may wish to submit supplementary portfolios if you intend to bring creative talents to Columbia’s campus either through a major and/or extracurricular opportunities.

Supplements are entirely optional and not required for the admissions process. Students will have access to the arts and maker communities and facilities, and are able to participate in the arts communities of Columbia regardless of supplement submissions or majors. Most students who choose to submit an Artistic 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). The Maker Portfolio may be an opportunity for students to highlight past creations or ongoing projects that demonstrate creativity and ingenuity, technical ability and hands-on problem solving. 

Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts, Film, Maker, Music and Visual Arts supplements can be submitted through Columbia's SlideRoom portal. Please select the program corresponding to the application type you are using for your application to Columbia.   

Architecture

Please submit 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.

Applicants are welcome to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their architecture experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $10 will be required at the time of submission.

Creative Writing

Please submit a document (in pdf format) 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.

Applicants are required to include a résumé (in pdf format) listing their creative writing experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Dance

Please submit 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.

Applicants are required to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their dance experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Drama & Theatre Arts

Please submit either a video sample of theatrical performance, directing, design and/or playwriting or a document (in pdf format) of either a script or a portfolio demonstrating contributions in directing or design. 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.

Applicants are required to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their drama and theatre arts experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Film

Please submit a video sample of your film work or a screenplay (in pdf format). Video submissions should be up to 10 minutes in length. 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).  List your name and role in the production in the description section of the media details. Videos should not include any biographical or introductory material.

Applicants are required to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their film experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Maker

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. 

Students who would like their technically creative work to be reviewed alongside their application materials can submit up to 4 media items (images, video, 3D models, audio files, documents, or external links), documenting one or several projects. 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. 

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Music

Please select two works contrasting in period and tempo, and choose from one of three possible types of submissions:

orchestral instruments (specify instrument); jazz (specify instrument or composition) or world music ; piano, voice, non-orchestral instruments (e.g. classical guitar) or composition (score or recording of score).

 

A processing fee of $5 will be required at the time of submission.

Live auditions are not part of Columbia’s admissions process, but auditions for private lessons, selective ensembles, troupes and various productions are held for enrolled students at the start of each academic year.

List the composer, name of the work, instrument performed and year recorded or composed. 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 video file no larger than 250 MB.

Applicants are required to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their music experience and recognition.

Applicants applying to the Columbia-Juilliard Program should submit material for Columbia faculty review.

Visual Arts

Please submit 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.

Applicants are welcome to submit a résumé (in pdf format) listing their visual arts experience and recognition.

A processing fee of $10 will be required at the time of submission.

In addition to creative materials, 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 incurs a fee, listed in each program above. 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. Additional instructions for a SlideRoom fee waiver can be found on the Slide Room portal.

Schoolhouse.world Certifications

Applicants to Columbia are welcome to submit Schoolhouse.world certifications as an optional supplement to their application.

Certifications from Schoolhouse.world are just one way for you to demonstrate your academic achievement. While these certifications do not 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.

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.