College Intel

Columbia University Admissions

With some of the most competitive admissions in the Ivy League and a centuries-long reputation for academic excellence, Columbia University is indisputably one of the best institutions of higher education in the United States. Columbia’s factsheet is formidable: it is a founding member of the Association of American Universities, it administers the Pulitzer Prize, and it can lay claim to seven Founding Fathers as alumni. Faculty and staff at the New York City research and academic juggernaut have included influential theorists Edward Said and Kimberle Crenshaw, President Dwight. D. Eisenhower, and a grand total of 34 Nobel laureates. 

Even though there are roughly 26,000 postgraduates, the heart of the university is held within the undergraduate body of roughly 6,700 students. This is split between Columbia College (for the liberal arts), the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School of General Studies (for liberal arts students following a non-traditional college timeline), and Barnard College (the women’s college affiliate to the university whose alumni graduate with Columbia degrees).

Within the Ivy League, Columbia is considered to be one of the most academically rigorous schools. Students at Columbia College adhere to a core curriculum consisting of six coursework categories: Arts Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, Frontiers of Science, Literature Humanities, Music Humanities, and University Writing. Students are additionally required to take four core electives: Global Core, Foreign Language, Science, and Physical Education. Between the four undergraduate colleges, students can choose between dozens of majors, special concentrations, and interdisciplinary paths of study.

Founded as “King’s College” in 1754, Columbia had an early history in colonial lower Manhattan punctuated by internal discord between loyalist elements in the administration and revolutionary figures in the student body such as Alexander Hamilton. In 1857, Columbia moved to a Gothic Revival campus in Midtown, followed in 1896 by a move to its contemporary Morningside Heights campus on the Upper West Side. In the early twentieth century, Columbia became known as a hub for research via government initiatives like the Manhattan project. In 1968, Columbia received national attention for a series of student protests and activism against the Vietnam War and a proposal for a school-sponsored segregated facility in the neighborhood. 

Today, Columbia boasts 16 renowned graduate and professional schools, successful alumni in every major industry (including a number of celebrities!), and strong resources for the incubation of entrepreneurial endeavors in tech and business. While undergraduates might not sing the praises of social life on campus (Greek life draws the participation of a slim 10-15% of the student body), the bustle and glamor that abounds in New York City make up for this lack. From attending Broadway plays to exploring the city’s plentiful museums and galleries, Columbia students will never be at a loss for activity in the Big Apple.

With that being said, the extracurricular writing scene on campus remains strong; the oldest student group on campus is the Philolexian Society, a literary and debating club founded in 1802, while The Columbia Daily Spectator is the nation’s second-oldest continuously operating daily student newspaper. There are also a variety of literary magazines, journals, broadcasting organizations, and affinity organizations to which undergrads may contribute their talents. Columbia’s D1 Athletics have made history with some of the oldest sports teams in collegiate athletics and notable alumni such as Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Lou Gehrig and our dear friend and former next-door neighbor, Rose Bowl MVP Cliff Montgomery.

For the Class of 2027, Columbia received 57,129 applications and admitted 2,246, for an acceptance rate of 3.93%. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the main qualities Columbia looks for in applicants are “academic preparation,” “curiosity,” “engagement with others,” “individual voice,” and “knowledge of Columbia.” They use a holistic process that takes in the context of a student’s background when evaluating applications. Ensuring that the information in an application is presented cohesively, with a mind to these attributes, is essential in today’s competitive admissions cycle. Ivy Coach is here to help you reach your dreams of sporting blue and white.