Columbia University: Statistics

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#9 of 14,131 In the World
#7 of 2,597 In North America
#7 of 2,496 In the United States
#2 of 221 In New York State
#1 of 92 In New York City
#1 of 1,592 For Media Studies
Top10 For 44 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
4%
Average SAT
1545
Average ACT
35
Avg. cost to attend
$22,520 /y
Aid receiving
57%
Undergraduates
9,164
Graduates
26,009
Male:Female Ratio
45:55
Control
Private
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree

Columbia University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Columbia University has an acceptance rate of 4% and is among the top 1% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 4% 4% 4%
Applicants 60,115 26,607 32,507
Admissions 2,400 1,122 1,226
Freshmen enrolled full time 1,519 779 713
Freshmen enrolled part time 39 16 23

2,519 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

1,499 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
680 or 45%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1510
or below

75% of them
had 1580
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Columbia University are 1510-1580 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
267 or 18%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 34
or below

75% of them
had 35
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Columbia University are 34-35 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school rank Required
Secondary school record Required
Formal demonstration of competencies Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
TOEFL Considered but not required
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

Nonresident Alien 13812 (39%)
White 7943 (23%)
Asian 4664 (13%)
Hispanic 2925 (8%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 2731 (8%)
Black or African American 1838 (5%)
Two or more races 1177 (3%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 35 (0.1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 17 (0%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The average net cost to attend Columbia University is $22,520 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Net average cost to attend
$22,520/year
Average aid awarded
$67,010
Students receiving aid
57%

Average costs by household income

<$30K $4,570
$30-48K $2,275
$48-75K $5,866
$75-110K $11,782
$110K+ $50,621

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $68,000$55,184
Tuition in-state $68,000$55,184
Tuition out-of-state $68,000$55,184
Fee in-district $3,845$2,789
Fee in-state $3,845$2,789
Fee out-of-state $3,845$2,789

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 13,387
Combined charge for room and board $17,580
Room charge $11,000
Meal charge $6,580

Columbia University majors

Columbia University has granted 2,433 bachelor's degrees across 67 programs, 10,646 master's across 121 programs, and 1,591 doctorate degrees across 87 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Columbia University.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 1,621 5
Computer Science 408 403 29
Computer and Information Sciences, General 720
Social Work 546 10
Law 523
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 240 164 22
Public Administration 409
Operations Research 50 326 6
Statistics, General 27 335 8
Advanced Legal Research & Studies, General 337 3
Public Health, General 318 5
Sustainability Studies 43 273 5
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 307
Political Science and Government, General 201 49 17
International Relations and Affairs 266
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 24 224 15
Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology 259
Mechanical Engineering 81 144 10
Journalism, Other 230
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 55 143 29
Data Science, General 5 203
Business Analytics 184
Epidemiology 167 13
Creative Writing 37 114
History, General 90 45 16
Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods 148
Chemical Engineering 14 122 10
English Language and Literature, General 93 28 23
Medicine 142
Neuroscience 104 14 22
Civil Engineering, General 18 115 5
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 116 7 9
Biostatistics 119 6
Nursing Practice 125
Industrial Engineering 4 114
Applied Mathematics, General 54 56 3
Real Estate Development 108
Mathematical Statistics and Probability 103
Dentistry 97
Visual and Performing Arts, Other 68 28
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 54 19 21
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration & Management 92
Nutrition Sciences 88 3
Information Technology Project Management 89
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 4 69 4
Cinematography and Film & Video Production 76
Climate Science 76
Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering 20 52 4
Social Sciences, Other 33 42
Sociology, General 44 18 12
Physical Therapy & Therapist 71
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 64
City & Urban, Community, and Regional Planning 58 5
Anthropology, General 18 31 13
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 58 4
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 26 22 13
Computer Engineering, General 25 36
Occupational Therapy & Therapist 53 8
Philosophy 36 19 6
Environmental Studies 55
Mathematics, General 42 7 6
Geology & Earth Science, General 21 17 13
Physics, General 25 14 12
Human Resources Management & Personnel Administration, General 48
Non-Profit & Public & Organizational Management 48
Cell & Cellular and Molecular Biology 23 24
Economics, General 37 7
Engineering Physics & Applied Physics 11 28 5
Business Statistics 38 4
Social Sciences, General 37 4
Environmental Health 32 3
Music, General 13 10 11
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 22 10
Comparative Literature 30
Chemistry, General 11 5 13
Dispute Resolution 29
Bioethics & Medical Ethics 28
Finance, General 27
Historic Preservation and Conservation, General 26
American & United States Studies & Civilization 12 13
Construction Management, General 25
East Asian Studies 16 9
Biotechnology 24
Mathematics and Computer Science 24
Biochemistry 23
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 23
Materials Science 3 17 2
Astrophysics 21
French Language and Literature 2 17 2
Architecture 17 3
Middle & Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 8 8 4
Information Technology 19
Medical & Health Humanities 19
Western European Studies 19
Actuarial Science 18
Bioinformatics 12 5
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 11 3 3
Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia 17
Insurance 17
History, Other 16
Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2 9 5
Biomedical Sciences, General 14
Education, Other 6 8
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other 13
Conservation Biology 13
Islamic Studies 13
Cognitive Science, General 12
Educational Psychology 12
Genetic Counseling & Counselor 12
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 12
Religion & Religious Studies 7 1 4
Genetics, General 6 5
Information Science & Studies 11
Urban Studies & Affairs 11
Astronomy 2 4 4
Clinical Psychology 10
Ethnic Studies 10
Linguistics 10
Pathology & Experimental Pathology 6 4
German Language and Literature 2 1 6
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other 9
Physical Sciences, Other 1 4 4
Education & Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 8
Environmental Science 8
Orthodontics & Orthodontology 8
African-American & Black Studies 5 2
Architectural History and Criticism, General 7
Italian Language and Literature 3 1 3
Nursing Science 7
Biophysics 6
Ecology 3 3
Evolutionary Biology 6
Latin American Studies 2 4
Microbiology, General 2 4
Music Theory and Composition 6
Physiology, General 5 1
Science Teacher Education & General Science Teacher Education 6
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 6
South Asian Studies 5
Spanish Language and Literature 2 3
Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 4
Humanities & Humanistic Studies 2 2
Mathematics Teacher Education 4
Counseling Psychology 3
Dance, General 3
Developmental and Child Psychology 3
Digital Arts 3
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 3
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General 3
Industrial and Organizational Psychology 3
Ancient Studies & Civilization 2
Behavioral Sciences 2
Jewish & Judaic Studies 2
Pharmacology 1 1
Psychology, Other 2
Business Administration and Management, General 1
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 1
Periodontics & Periodontology 1
Physics, Other 1
Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 1
Grand Total 2,433 10,646 1,591

Columbia University has a graduation rate of 96%, which is among the 2% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 96% 95% 97%
  • Full-time retention rate - 98%
  • Part-time retention rate - 95%

Publications & Citations

Columbia University is a world-class research university with 360,747 scientific papers published and 18,014,522 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Medicine, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Computer Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Science, and Genetics.

Publications
360,747
Citations
18,014,522

Publication / Citation count by topic

Biology
194,923 / 11,619,658
Medicine
183,273 / 10,036,037
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
160,626 / 7,188,283
Computer Science
141,595 / 7,594,812
Chemistry
139,053 / 8,655,927
Engineering
121,219 / 6,283,812
Physics
120,654 / 6,472,446
Psychology
109,636 / 6,208,150
Environmental Science
103,671 / 5,251,461
Genetics
100,737 / 6,417,824
Biochemistry
90,363 / 6,199,685
Political Science
83,354 / 3,365,227
Pathology
80,955 / 4,904,224
Law
77,067 / 3,270,417
Quantum and Particle physics
76,146 / 4,111,932
Sociology
73,298 / 3,437,095
Mathematics
69,629 / 3,665,584
Philosophy
66,124 / 2,900,483
Psychiatry
64,412 / 3,866,411
Geography and Cartography
58,996 / 2,884,245
Geology
56,763 / 3,196,684
Statistics
54,844 / 3,019,953
Organic Chemistry
53,419 / 3,248,905
Economics
47,366 / 2,300,050
Neuroscience
46,631 / 3,039,866
Business
46,313 / 2,277,441
Materials Science
45,790 / 2,481,372
History
45,731 / 1,795,212
Surgery
45,683 / 2,200,619
Ecology
37,827 / 2,230,077
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
37,439 / 1,888,341
Paleontology
35,880 / 2,079,650
Optical Engineering
34,827 / 1,910,474
Public Health
34,177 / 1,998,407
Archaeology
34,019 / 1,588,989
Immunology
32,567 / 1,925,374
Linguistics
31,866 / 1,439,711
Demography
29,430 / 1,776,100
Radiology and Nuclear medicine
28,207 / 1,329,642
Art & Design
25,555 / 931,650

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 3058 76535
1994 3045 81851
1995 3286 92112
1996 3450 99563
1997 3638 109408
1998 3989 122029
1999 4099 135496
2000 4316 153834
2001 4935 167158
2002 6159 199779
2003 6290 225082
2004 6736 243895
2005 6859 278777
2006 7866 311343
2007 8134 346800
2008 8417 388027
2009 8913 431487
2010 8798 474041
2011 9483 527615
2012 10010 578345
2013 10932 629464
2014 10809 675746
2015 11178 704230
2016 11300 722755
2017 11598 767306
2018 12414 821439
2019 13595 915911
2020 16523 1084107
2021 14928 1192057
2022 14094 1112066
2023 14420 1131423
2024 12220 1094936
2025 9788 958273
Academic rankings

Columbia University alumni

  1. Barack Obama

    Barack Obama
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1961-.. (age 65)
    Enrolled in Columbia University
    1981-1983 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science
    Occupations
    academiccommunity organizermemoiristpolitical writerpodcaster
    Biography

    Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

  2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1882-1945 (aged 63)
    Enrolled in Columbia University
    Studied in 1904-1907
    Occupations
    statesperson
    Biography

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms were centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on U.S. involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.

  3. Timothée Chalamet

    Timothée Chalamet
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1995-.. (age 31)
    Occupations
    actor
    Biography

    Timothée Hal Chalamet is an American and French actor. Known for his work in a diverse range of blockbusters and independent films, he is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Actor Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and a Grammy Award. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $2.3 billion worldwide.

  4. Jake Gyllenhaal

    Jake Gyllenhaal
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1980-.. (age 46)
    Occupations
    stage actortelevision actorvoice actorexecutive producerfilm actor
    Biography

    Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal is an American actor whose career on screen and stage has spanned more than three decades. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names Columbia University
Founded 1754
Motto In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen
Colors columbia blue, white
Academic calendar September to May
Total FTE staff 21,288
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address West 116 St and Broadway
New York, New York, 10027
United States
City population 8,804,000
Phone 2128541754

Columbia University in social media