University in United States
New York, NY, United States
University profile
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private Ivy League research university founded in 1754 in a schoolhouse at the lower tip of Manhattan. It is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States. Its mission statement describes a centre of research and a distinguished learning environment for undergraduate and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields, linking research and teaching to the resources of New York City and drawing a diverse and international faculty, staff and student body.
The University has 17 schools and four affiliated colleges and seminaries spread over four campuses in and around New York City: Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, the Irving Medical Center in Washington Heights and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, with the Baker Athletics Complex in northern Manhattan. Columbia also operates 11 global centres, in Amman, Athens, Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Tel Aviv and Tunis.
There are three undergraduate schools, among them Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (Columbia Engineering), and fifteen graduate and professional schools, including Columbia Business School, Columbia Law School, the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), the School of Social Work, the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and the Columbia Climate School. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences brings together faculty in the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. The University counts twenty-five libraries holding over 13 million volumes, and more than one hundred research centres and institutes.
Columbia College is built around the Core Curriculum, which all its undergraduates follow; it reports a 6:1 faculty-to-student ratio, instruction in more than 40 foreign languages, more than 100 study-abroad programs and nearly all students living on campus for all four years. First-year undergraduates are required to live on campus.
International applicants are welcomed: Columbia accepts all secondary school curricula (IB, Cambridge A Levels, national curricula) and describes one of the most internationally diverse student bodies in the country. It names itself as having the third-largest international student population of any US university, and international financial aid totals $21 million.
All financial aid at Columbia is need-based; there are no academic, athletic or talent-based institutional scholarships. Columbia meets 100% of demonstrated need for all four years, with grants (the Columbia Grant) and work-study, and no loans in aid packages. Families with calculated income under $150,000 (with typical assets) attend tuition-free; parents with income under $66,000 are expected to contribute $0. First-year students from low-income families receive a $2,000 start-up grant. Columbia awards more than $220 million annually in scholarships and grants; about half of incoming first-years receive Columbia grants.
International students are eligible for need-based aid and apply for it with their admission application; they are reviewed need-aware, and aid cannot normally be requested later. Columbia meets 100% of demonstrated need of admitted international students with institutional funds. International aid totalled $21 million; the average award for international recipients was $79,375 (a Columbia grant plus a work-study job). Requirements: CSS Profile (code 2116) and parental income documentation through IDOC.
Domestic applicants file FAFSA (code 002707), CSS Profile and income documents. See Financial Aid and Educational Financing.
Columbia Grant (need-based financial aid, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) →
Columbia International Student Financial Aid →
Browse the scholarships listed for Columbia University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Columbia University →Apply through the Common Application, the Coalition Application on Scoir or the QuestBridge Application (for QuestBridge Finalists), plus the Columbia-specific application questions. Required: Secondary School Report (official transcripts, one counselor recommendation and school profile, mid-year report) and two teacher recommendations from academic teachers (for Columbia Engineering one must be a math or science teacher). Supplementary materials such as an arts portfolio or research abstract are optional. There is no cut-off GPA or test score.
Columbia College recommends four years of English, four years of mathematics, three to four years each of history/social studies, laboratory science and one world language. Columbia Engineering advises four years of mathematics through calculus and four years of laboratory science including chemistry and physics.
Applicants for Fall 2027 entry may choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores (test-optional). Columbia will require SAT or ACT scores for the 2027-2028 admissions cycle and beyond.
The application fee is $85 and nonrefundable; fee waivers are available.
Transfer applicants apply through the Coalition Application on Scoir, with official college and high school transcripts, a Transfer Report, a Curriculum Report, the Columbia supplement and a 400-600 word essay on why they wish to transfer. Over 125 transfer students enrol each year. International transfer applicants must be enrolled in a college in North America or a US-style college abroad.
The process is the same for all citizenships. All secondary curricula are accepted (IB, A Levels, national exams); documents not in English need official translation. Applicants must show English proficiency unless English is their home language, they were taught in English throughout secondary school, or they scored 700+ on SAT Reading and Writing or 29+ on ACT English or Reading. Otherwise minimums are: TOEFL iBT 105 (exams on or before 20 January 2026; for exams on or after 21 January 2026 a score of 5.5 on the new scale), IELTS Academic 7.5, Duolingo English Test 135, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 191. TOEFL code 2116. Columbia does not work with independent recruitment agents.
An intercampus shuttle links the campuses. Libraries number twenty-five; residence halls offer free laundry for undergraduates.
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