Columbia University

Founded in 1754, Columbia is one of the oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher learning in the world, offering a renowned liberal arts education in the nation’s most global city. Leaders and artists like President Barack Obama, former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Emmy-winning entertainer Kate McKinnon, and 2014 MacArthur Fellow Ai-jen Poo attended Columbia.

With a 36-acre campus in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Columbia is a residential university with one of the most diverse, talented student bodies in the world. Our community includes students from all 50 states and more than 90 foreign countries, over half of our students identify as students of color, and 17% of students are the first in their families to attend college. 

Columbia also strives to be accessible to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, awarding over $168 million in financial aid annually. We have one of the highest percentages of Pell Grant recipients in the Ivy League, and we meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need for all first-years and transfers pursuing their first degree, regardless of citizenship. 

Admission is need-blind for US citizens, permanent residents, persons granted refugee visas by the United States, and undocumented students. Our need-based aid is in the form of grants and student work only. Loans are not a component of financial aid packages. If your family earns less than $60,000 annually (with typical assets), your parents will not be expected to pay anything for your Columbia education. If your family earns between $60,000–$100,000, your parents will have a significantly reduced financial contribution. There are no income or asset cutoffs, and families earning over $100,000 can still qualify for significant financial aid.

Diversity is part of what makes Columbia vibrant, dynamic, and exciting, as evidenced by our legendary Core Curriculum. With an interdisciplinary series of small seminar-style courses taken by students from all majors, including engineers, students make connections across the world of ideas, challenging their thinking and deepening their insights together at every turn. From understanding the forces of globalization to grasping life through the prism of a gene to expressing human yearning through the arts—intellectual vitality is uniquely central to Columbia’s identity.

Advisors, faculty, and peers help students embrace academic and personal growth at Columbia, where students take classes with Nobel Laureates and find peer mentorship in identity-based “family trees.” This support team forms the foundation of your community, supplemented by more than 500 clubs and organizations. Housing is guaranteed for four years, and while your circles of community begin on campus, they extend to the intimate, friendly neighborhood that surrounds us on to the world-class city we are part of and into the world itself. 

Undergraduates can choose from more than 150 study abroad opportunities and thousands of research and internship positions in New York City and beyond. With over 5,000 available internships, the majority of students will have at least one internship before graduating, and nearly 90% of graduates are employed or in grad school.

As a citizen of both Columbia and New York, you are granted the freedom to reach for any goal on campus, in a city and a community where shaping society, culture, and the world happens every day.