Columbia University

Columbia University is a private, nonprofit school in an urban setting in New York, New York. Columbia was founded in 1754 and now enrolls 6,170 undergrads. Columbia provides on-campus housing for students.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Columbia! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of Columbia's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Columbia students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? Columbia has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Columbia has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Columbia on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at Columbia on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2022 is January 1. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should receive admissions decisions by April 1.

Is Columbia a Good School?

The definition of a "good school" is different for different people. Admissions difficulty and admitted student statistics can give you a sense of how selective a school is, but they don't say much about the quality of the education or the student experience. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a closer look at all of these areas to get a better sense of what Columbia offers and if it might be a good fit for you.

2021 Acceptance Rate for Columbia University

It is extremely difficult to get into Columbia. Columbia admitted 6% of all applicants in 2021. In 2021, just 2,544 out of the 40,083 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Columbia

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 99% of students who start at Columbia return for their second year of college. Columbia's six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 97%. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for Columbia Grads

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. Within six months of graduating, 70% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

The average starting salary for recent Columbia grads is $75,283 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Columbia's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. Columbia's endowment was valued at $11.3 billion in 2021, compared to a national average of $905 million.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Columbia

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. Columbia meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $60,608 a year.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA asap. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Columbia. Based on this information, how does Columbia sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is Columbia a good school for you?

If Columbia University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Searching for Colleges?

To learn more about Columbia, choose from the options below:

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Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting admitted to some of the colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Columbia?

Columbia is located in the urban setting of New York, New York, less than an hour from New York City.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Columbia and New York are like without leaving home.

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