College Spotlight: Columbia University
The Details:
Location: New York, NY
Institution Type: Private Institution
Student Body: 6162 Undergraduates
Student/Faculty Ratio: 6:1
Acceptance Rate: 6.8%
Average ACT Score: 33-35
Average SAT Score: 1520
Admissions 411:
Important Deadlines:
Early Decision: November 1st
Regular Decision: January 1st
Test-Optional: No
ACT/SAT Superscore: Yes
SAT Subject Test: Optional
Required Application: Common Application or Coalition Application
Personal Essay: Required
The Vibe:
Worldly, ambitious and accomplished, the students at Columbia University are fortunate enough to receive an Ivy League education on a spectacular campus in the middle of Manhattan. World-class research facilities and over 100 majors provide students with access to some of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate programs. The Core Curriculum, however, is perhaps the most unique characteristic of the undergraduate experience at Columbia. The mandatory “Core” works to ensure that all undergraduates become well-rounded thinkers in a wide range of subject areas, such as literature, philosophy, art, science, music and history. The courses are small, interdisciplinary, discussion-based classes that allow students to have a more comprehensive understanding of civilization and the human experience. It is after creating this academic foundation that they then embark on their more focused studies and majors. When students are not studying, they may take in everything the Big Apple has to offer. Over 1000 restaurants and 150 museums make New York City a phenomenal extension of Columbia’s campus.
Did You Know:
Columbia University has one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation. Over 50% of students identify as students of color.
84 alumni, faculty or former faculty members have won the Nobel Prize (more than any other Ivy League).
Columbia University was the first school in the nation to award a Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.).
Columbia University is responsible for administering the annual Pulitzer Prize
The uranium atom was split for the first time at Columbia in 1939.