Getting in
For Fall 2025, 59,611 first-year students applied to Columbia, 2,946 were admitted and 1,797 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 4.9%.
Source: Columbia Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 8,882 | 447 | 5% |
| Out-of-state | 35,349 | 2,092 | 5.9% |
| International | 15,380 | 407 | 2.6% |
Source: Columbia Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. Columbia's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering together, with no rate by school or major.
Source: Columbia Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision. Early decision counts for the Fall 2025 entering class, as the Common Data Set reports them. They are part of the totals above. Columbia has no early action plan.
Early decision, Fall 2025
| Plan | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision | 5,868 | 819 | 14% |
Source: Columbia Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
You apply to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering with one application. A few choices ask for more:
- Columbia Engineering. Two teacher recommendations, and one of them must come from a math or science teacher.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- Columbia-Juilliard Program (Columbia College). The Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard portion of Juilliard's application as well, due December 1. About 15 students are admitted each year.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, The Columbia-Juilliard Program (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Supplementary materials such as an arts portfolio or a research abstract are optional for everyone else.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
94 majors across 2 schools. Every undergraduate major Columbia lists for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, the two schools that take first-year applicants, with the degree it leads to. Minors, special programs, the School of General Studies and graduate programs are left out.
Columbia College78
- African American Studies (BA)
- American Studies (BA)
- Anthropology (BA)
- Applied Mathematics (BA)
- Archaeology (BA)
- Architecture (BA)
- Art History (BA)
- Art History & Visual Arts (BA)
- Astronomy (BA)
- Astrophysics (BA)
- Biology (BA)
- Biochemistry (BA)
- Biophysics (BA)
- Chemical Physics (BA)
- Chemistry (BA)
- Classics (BA)
- Climate and Sustainability (BA)
- Climate System Science (BA)
- Cognitive Science (BA)
- Comparative Literature and Society (BA)
- Computational Biology (BA)
- Computer Science (BA)
- Computer Science-Mathematics (BA)
- Creative Writing (BA)
- Dance (BA)
- Data Science (BA)
- Drama and Theatre Arts (BA)
- Earth Science (BA)
- East Asian Studies (BA)
- Economics (BA)
- Economics-Mathematics (BA)
- Economics-Philosophy (BA)
- Economics-Political Science (BA)
- Economics-Statistics (BA)
- Education Studies (BA)
- English (BA)
- Environmental Biology (BA)
- Environmental Chemistry (BA)
- Environmental Science (BA)
- Ethnicity and Race Studies (BA)
- Evolutionary Biology of the Human Species (BA)
- Film and Media Studies (BA)
- Financial Economics (BA)
- French (BA)
- French & Francophone Studies (BA)
- German Literature & Cultural History (BA)
- Global Affairs and Public Policy (BA)
- Hispanic Studies (BA)
- History (BA)
- History and Theory of Architecture (BA)
- Human Rights (BA)
- Information Science (BA)
- Italian (BA)
- Latin American and Caribbean Studies (BA)
- Linguistics (BA)
- Mathematics (BA)
- Mathematics-Statistics (BA)
- Medical Humanities (BA)
- Middle Eastern, South Asian & African Studies (BA)
- Music (BA)
- Neuroscience & Behavior (BA)
- Philosophy (BA)
- Physics (BA)
- Political Science (BA)
- Political Science-Statistics (BA)
- Psychology (BA)
- Regional Studies (BA)
- Religion (BA)
- Russian Language & Culture (BA)
- Russian Literature & Culture (BA)
- Slavic Studies (BA)
- Sociology (BA)
- Statistics (BA)
- Sustainable Development (BA)
- Urban Studies (BA)
- Visual Arts (BA)
- Women's & Gender Studies (BA)
- Yiddish Studies (BA)
Source: Columbia College, Majors, Minors, and Special Programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Columbia Engineering (The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science)16
Two teacher recommendations are required, and one of them must come from a math or science teacher.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- Applied Mathematics (BS)
- Applied Physics (BS)
- Biomedical Engineering (BS)
- Chemical Engineering (BS)
- Civil Engineering (BS)
- Computer Engineering (BS)
- Computer Science (BS)
- Decision Science and Data Analytics (BS)
- Earth and Environmental Engineering (BS)
- Electrical Engineering (BS)
- Industrial Engineering (BS)
- Materials Science (BS)
- Mechanical Engineering (BS)
- Mining Engineering (BS)
- Operations Research (BS)
- Quantitative Finance and Financial Technology (BS)
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Columbia Engineering, Areas of Study (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 1 | Mid-December | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 1 | Late March | No |
The QuestBridge National College Match deadline is also November 1. Financial aid applications are due November 15 for Early Decision and February 15 for Regular Decision. Admitted Regular Decision students reply by May 1. Recommendations and school reports are accepted after the deadline.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision is binding: if you are admitted, you must accept Columbia's offer and withdraw all your other applications. Columbia releases you only if, after talking with its financial aid office, you cite financial reasons for not attending. If you are denied in early decision, you cannot apply to Columbia again that year.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Early Decision (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
Columbia is test-optional for students applying in the 2026-2027 cycle to enter in fall 2027. It is not test-blind: you choose in the application whether your SAT or ACT scores are considered. You may test as late as November 2026 for Early Decision and February 2027 for Regular Decision.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Testing Policy (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for fall 2027 applicants, but considered if submitted, with scores due by February 1.
Source: Columbia Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering) (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
- Testing. Columbia requires the SAT or ACT for fall 2028 entry, starting with the 2027-2028 cycle in August 2027. Applicants who face challenges meeting the requirement may ask for a waiver.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Testing Policy (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
We found nothing else announced for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Columbia, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $72,800 |
|---|---|
| Fees | $4,160 |
| Food | $7,128 |
| Housing (on campus) | $12,522 |
| Books and supplies | $1,320 |
| Personal expenses | $1,844 |
| Total | $99,774 |
For a first-year student; first-years live on campus. Fees include one-time transcript and orientation fees of $730. Travel and local transportation varies with how far you live from New York and is not in the total.
Source: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Cost and Aid (opens in a new tab), 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $4,570 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $2,275 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $5,866 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $11,782 |
| Over $110,000 | $50,621 |
| All incomes | $21,590 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Columbia's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Columbia University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private4.9% admitted$28,699 average net price
Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private4.4% admitted$6,128 average net price
Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private4.7% admitted$23,777 average net price
Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private5.2% admitted$29,612 average net price
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Private5.4% admitted$15,846 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.