How to Get into Columbia University

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King’s College by a royal charter from King George II. A renowned research university, Columbia is one of eight prestigious schools that make up the Ivy League.

If you want to join the next incoming freshman class at this reputable school, you will need to understand how to get accepted into Columbia, what the school looks for in its students, and how you should prepare during your high school career. 

To earn the favor of Columbia’s extremely selective admissions staff, you will need to provide ample proof of your academic and extra-curricular abilities and achievements. You must also prove that you have what it takes to bring a significant positive and unique force to the Columbia community. 

You will need to earn As in all of your high school courses, achieve high scores on the SAT or ACT, hold active roles in extracurricular activities that showcase your qualities and abilities, and write compelling, inspiring essays. 

Columbia University is searching for students who are sure that they are a good fit with the campus community. In order to determine whether you are a good fit, you will need to learn about Columbia, beginning with its history.

Columbia is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the oldest in the state of New York. The college’s first home was a small schoolhouse that adjoined Trinity Church. Classes began in July 1754 with eight students. 

One of the many goals of the early institution was to establish the first medical school in America to grant the M.D. degree. It achieved this goal in 1767.

The American Revolution forced instruction to halt for eight years, and when the college reopened in 1784, it did so with a new name that reflected the patriotism that inspired the War: Columbia College.

In 1857, the college moved to 49th Street and Madison Avenue, where it stayed for 40 years. In 1896, Columbia College had grown so much that the trustees officially authorized the use of the name Columbia University. Today, the institution is officially named Columbia University in the City of New York.

Members of the earliest graduating classes had a profound impact on the development of the United States as a country. Early alumni included:

• Gouverneur Morris, the author of the final draft of the U.S. Constitution
• Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury
• John Jay, the first United States chief justice
• Robert Livingston, one of the five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence

Noteworthy modern alumni who attended Columbia University include Warren Buffett, Isaac Asimov, Barack Obama, Ira Gershwin, Amelia Earhart, Art Garfunkel, Alicia Keys, and many others.

For the class of 2025, Columbia University received 60,551 applications. Of those, a mere 2,355 students were granted admission. This means that Columbia has an astonishingly low admit rate of just 3.9%. 

Columbia is one of the most difficult universities to get into. However, just because it’s tough to get in doesn’t mean that you can’t! You will need to start planning years in advance and learn everything you can about how to get accepted into Columbia in order to have the best shot at earning an acceptance letter.

Columbia has adopted a holistic approach to its process of admission selection. The university is looking for students who best match the community culture on campus and have the potential to contribute positively.

The admissions officers do not focus on just one or even a few measures but instead carefully consider everything that is submitted as an entire package deal. According to the university, the admissions team searches for students who display the following attributes through their applications:

• Motivation
• Maturity
• Curiosity
• Special abilities and interests
• Character
• Ability to think independently
• Intellectual strength

Therefore, in every aspect of your application, you will want to express your interests, background, goals, and passions in order to convince the panel that you have what it takes to make good use of your years at Columbia.

You cannot apply to both Columbia Engineering and Columbia College; you must choose one or the other. The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science offers 16 areas of study, so if one of the following interests you, apply to Columbia Engineering:

• Applied physics
• Applied mathematics
• Chemical engineering
• Biomedical engineering
• Computer science
• Computer engineering
• Civil engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Earth and environmental engineering
• Engineering mechanics
• Engineering management systems
• Financial engineering
• Industrial engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Materials science and engineering
• Operations research

Columbia Engineering also offers several engineering minors as well as liberal arts minors, from music, psychology, and statistics to entrepreneurship, civil engineering, and economics.

Columbia College offers more than 100 concentrations and majors in addition to joint programs and special research opportunities through graduate schools, institutes, and centers. 

The majors include a range of unique concentrations that range from linguistics, philosophy, and history to human rights, creative writing, archaeology, and women’s and gender studies.

There is no concrete “cut-off” point for GPAs that the admissions team at Columbia uses. However, more than 95.7% of the most recent incoming class graduated within the top 10% of their high school classes. You need to aim for straight As if you want to go to this Ivy League school.

Make sure to take the most challenging courses available in high school — the admissions faculty at Columbia won’t be impressed with an A in a regular class if there was an AP or IB class available that you could have taken. 

Columbia is looking for students who don’t shy away from a challenge and who have shown that they can handle advanced placement and baccalaureate courses instead of regular ones. 

While Columbia does not release the average GPA of its students, you should aim to achieve a minimum GPA of about 4.12 (weighted) to solidify your application. 

Standardized test scores are treated like GPAs: Although there is no technical cut-off point, you need to be at the top with your scores. There is no preference for one type of test over the other, so you should take the one you are most comfortable with. 

It’s recommended that you take both, along with pretests, so you can become familiar with the format of each. Columbia does accept score choice, so you will be able to submit your best score for the committee to consider. 

Feel free to take the tests several times if you are not happy with your first score. Start early in your high school career (sophomore year) by taking the PreACT or the PSAT so you give yourself plenty of time for retakes if needed. 

When you take the PSAT in your junior year, you could be entered in the running to be named a National Merit scholar. This can open doors to scholarship opportunities for you. Columbia superscores these tests, so if you take them multiple times, admissions will take the highest subset score into consideration.

Columbia University reports that the 25th percentile score was 1490 for the SAT and 34 for the ACT. The 75th percentile for each was 1560 on the SAT and 35 on the ACT. 

Almost 90% of entering freshmen scored between 700 and 800 on the Math part of the SAT, and more than 80% scored in that same range for the EBRW section. 97% of incoming freshmen who took the ACT earned a 30 or higher.

The SAT subject tests are optional for this Ivy League school, so if you complete them and do well, you should report your scores. These subject tests are designed to confirm your academic intellect in the subject that is tested. 

There are no concrete requirements for the number of credit hours you must take in different high school subjects or classes. However, the school has put forth some strong recommendations you should follow to show that you are fully able to handle the courses. 

Columbia University suggests that students take:

• 4 years of literature and English composition
• 3–4 years of history and social studies
• 3–4 years of laboratory science
• 3–4 years of math
• 3–4 years of one foreign language

Make sure you put a heavy focus on courses that are related to the field or major you intend to pursue during your college career. For example, if you plan on majoring in engineering, you should take as many math and science courses as possible during high school. 

Everyone should take math at least through the pre-calculus level, and if you will be an engineering major, plan on taking math through calculus as well. Remember, it’s optimal to always take the most rigorous course load available during high school instead of regular class counterparts.

Columbia is aware that not every high school offers IB and AP courses, so if yours doesn’t, it won’t be held against you. You should strongly consider seeking out other opportunities to display your eagerness to learn, though, such as enrolling in dual enrollment courses. 

If you do take these types of classes, be aware that the university won’t grant you college credit for them. However, taking dual enrollment courses is still a good way to boost your application status by showing the admissions staff that you are able to handle higher-level courses.

Interviews are conducted by volunteer members of the school’s Alumni Representative Committee and other student interviewers. Applicants will be contacted if an interview is available in their area. Because the school has a limited number of people to conduct interviews, it does not guarantee that interviews will be available in all areas.

For this reason, applicants who are not able to participate in an interview are not penalized in the admission process. 

It’s critical that you participate in extracurricular school-related activities as well as those that are outside of school. However, Columbia is far more interested in the quality than the number of your activities.

Admissions counselors want to see that you’ve displayed leadership and impacted others during your time out of the classroom. Select a few activities within your areas of interest and focus on those. The university isn’t looking for students who join every activity; it’s better that you accomplish something meaningful in a few.

Always remember that Columbia uses a holistic admissions process, so it looks at more than just test scores, class rank, and grades. The following is a checklist summary of the additional factors Columbia considers when evaluating prospective students:

• The fit with Columbia
• The quality of extracurricular activities
• The character of the student
• What qualities the student can offer the school
• Evidence of intellectual potential from recommendation letters
• The student’s access to resources
• The student’s community, high school, and family background

Many students wonder if visiting the campus will offer Columbia admission help, but the answer is “not really.” Columbia does not track demonstrated interest. However, it’s still a good idea to visit if you can. If that is not possible, virtual tours and other events are available to applicants.

Make sure you take steps early on to achieve the highest grades possible in high school. Create a plan to follow that maps out your courses and when you will take the PSAT, PreACT, SAT, and/or ACT. 

Find out which classes you should take that are in line with what you plan to study at Columbia, and stay informed on the philosophy, mission, and ideals of the university to make sure it’s the best fit for you.