Information for Counselors

Greetings from Morningside Heights! The admissions staff is currently traveling across the country and around the world visiting prospective students, families and counselors. We recently welcomed Columbia's 255th graduating class to campus. For a full update on the Class of 2013, please review our 2009-2010 Counselor Newsletter. 

If you had not yet learned, I am happy to share with you that Columbia recently announced extensive enhancements to its undergraduate financial aid program. In our quest to make Columbia affordable for all students, especially those from low-income and middle-income families, the University recently implemented the following financial aid enhancements for all incoming and continuing students:

• Columbia eliminated loans for all students receiving financial aid, whatever their family income, and replaced them with University grants.
• In an effort to further assist low-income families, parents with calculated total incomes below $60,000 (and typical assets) are no longer expected to contribute any of their income or assets to tuition, room, board and mandatory fees.
• Families with calculated total incomes between $60,000 and $100,000 and typical assets have a significantly reduced parent contribution.
• To support students pursuing study abroad, research, internships and community service opportunities, Columbia offers the opportunity to apply for additional funding and exemptions for academic year and summer work expectations.

A commitment to diversity—of every kind—is a long-standing Columbia hallmark. The new financial aid initiatives underscore our continued commitment to diversity, making a Columbia education even more accessible for students from every background. In an effort to address our nation’s ever widening preparation gap, Columbia has for many years focused significant resources on early college awareness outreach and helped to build knowledge around not only a Columbia education but higher education in general. The Admissions Office sponsors a number of initiatives that address multicultural recruitment and early college awareness. For more information, please contact Maude Bond, Director of Multicultural Recruitment, at 212-854-2522 or mrcinfo@columbia.edu.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions and we look forward to working with you and your students as the academic year continues.

The Columbia Lion guards the Dodge Physical Fitness Center, a massive underground complex housing everything from free weights to squash courts.

Links

Breakfasts for Guidance Counselors

Register for a Counselor Breakfast in your area to learn more about Columbia.

Counselor Newsletter (PDF)

Updates from the Dean including the year in review, regional admission officer contact information and admission statistics.

Application & Admission Process

Requirements for admission, dates and deadlines, and policies on interviews.

Early Decision vs. Regular Decision

Learn more about applying early to Columbia.

Standardized Testing Requirements & Policy on Score Choice

Guidance regarding the SAT, SAT Subject Test requirements and the ACT.

Class Profile

The statistics on admission and entering students for the Class of 2013.

Financial Aid

How to help families understand the nuances of affording a Columbia education, deadlines, required documents and more.

International Students

Information about applying to Columbia as a foreign or international student, with links to resources on campus.

Columbia: An Introduction

A short film by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ric Burns, CC ‘78, featuring interviews with Columbia students, faculty and alumni.

Our Columbia

Get to know our students, our history, our campus and our city through a new publication featuring a few of our current students.

College Bulletin/Catalog

View department and course descriptions online.

Engineering Bulletin/Catalog

View department and course descriptions online.