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Columbia University

Basic Information

Type Private
Location New York, NY
Population 14,000,000
Map of the United States

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 8,899
Men / Women 50% / 50%
White 29%
International 20%
Asian 15%
Hispanic 12%
Black 6%
Mixed 5%
Native American 0%

Academics

Undergraduate Degrees
Humanities & Social Sciences 39%
Engineering, Computing & Math 38%
Business & Economics 11%
Arts 6%
Life & Natural Sciences 5%

Financial

Tuition & Fees $71,170
Est. Cost of Attendance $89,472
10-Year ROI $364,000
ROI Percentile 99th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 98%
4-Year Graduation Rate 81%
6-Year Graduation Rate 96%
Transfer-Out Rate 0%

Weather

Comfortable Days 105 (50th pctl)
Sunshine Hours 2,535 (41th pctl)
Days Without Precipitation 243 (42th pctl)
Muggyness Nice

Admissions

Acceptance Rate 4%
Yield (Unbound) 45%
Early Decision Nov 1
Regular Decision Jan 1

Research

Research Level R1
Expenditure
Life & Natural Sciences $1,204M #14
Engineering, Computing & Math $162M #34
Humanities & Social Sciences $18M #87
Graduate Degrees
Humanities & Social Sciences 822 #3
Life & Natural Sciences 622 #29
Engineering, Computing & Math 138 #36

Honors College

Standardized Tests

Test Scores

Test Policy test_optional
Submitted Test Scores 63%
SAT Range 1,510 – 1,580
ACT Range 34 – 35

Schools & Majors

Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
Columbia College 2,077 49% / 51% 17% $114,463
Astronomy 2 +4 50% / 50% 0%
Astrophysics 21 52% / 48% 10%
Computer Science 408 +41 63% / 37% 23% $213,398
Data Science 5 60% / 40% 60%
Information Science/Studies 11 +3 45% / 55% 36%
Mathematics 42 +49 64% / 36% 33% $84,985
Mathematics and Computer Science 24 67% / 33% 12%
Mathematics-Statistics 27 +18 59% / 41% 26% $153,221
Physical Sciences 1 100% / 0% 0%
Physics 25 +7 72% / 28% 32%
Biochemistry 23 +1 43% / 57% 26%
Biological Sciences 54 +8 50% / 50% 4% $64,176
Biophysics 6 67% / 33% 0%
Chemistry 11 +5 45% / 55% 9%
Environmental Science 8 +4 38% / 62% 0% $82,791
Evolutionary Biology 6 +1 33% / 67% 0% $90,668
Geology/Earth Science 21 +8 38% / 62% 5%
Materials Science 3 33% / 67% 33%
Economics 240 +14 65% / 35% 32% $124,443
Economics 37 +21 59% / 41% 8% $124,443
African American and African Diaspora Studies 5 +4 40% / 60% 0%
American Studies 12 +2 50% / 50% 0% $72,256
Ancient Studies/Civilization 2 50% / 50% 0%
Anthropology 18 +13 50% / 50% 17% $63,159
Classical Languages 11 +2 55% / 45% 0%
Cognitive Science 12 25% / 75% 33%
Comparative Literature 30 +1 17% / 83% 3%
Creative Writing 37 +14 41% / 59% 5% $54,746
East Asian Studies 16 +25 56% / 44% 25% $72,256
English Language and Literature 93 +15 20% / 80% 10% $68,662
Ethnic Studies 10 +9 40% / 60% 0%
French 2 +7 0% / 100% 0% $73,031
German 2 +2 0% / 100% 0%
History 90 +32 48% / 52% 7% $61,328
Humanities/Humanistic Studies 2 0% / 100% 0% $66,957
Italian 3 0% / 100% 0% $73,031
Latin American and Caribbean Studies 2 +6 0% / 100% 50% $72,256
Linguistics 10 +1 30% / 70% 10%
Near Eastern and Semitic Languages 8 +5 75% / 25% 25% $89,747
Neuroscience and Behavior 104 +1 30% / 70% 12% $71,749
Philosophy 36 +17 64% / 36% 22% $31,021
Philosophy and Religious Studies 9 67% / 33% 11%
Political Science 201 +24 51% / 49% 12% $91,377
Religion 7 +3 57% / 43% 14%
Research and Experimental Psychology 116 +37 33% / 67% 11% $74,125
Slavic Languages 2 +3 0% / 100% 0%
Social Sciences 33 +8 21% / 79% 18% $74,900
Sociology 44 +13 41% / 59% 7% $86,127
Spanish
Sustainability Studies 43 +2 40% / 60% 19% $89,286
Architecture 17 +1 29% / 71% 29% $78,519
Art History and Archaeology 26 +11 31% / 69% 12% $51,603
Dance 3 +2 33% / 67% 33%
Drama and Theatre Arts 4 +2 50% / 50% 25% $33,978
Music 13 +5 31% / 69% 23%
Urban Studies 11 18% / 82% 9%
Visual and Performing Arts 68 +26 38% / 62% 13% $71,560
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science 356 55% / 45% 20% $133,699
Applied Mathematics 54 +2 50% / 50% 39%
Applied Physics (Engineering Physics) 11 82% / 18% 9%
Biomedical Engineering 55 36% / 64% 15%
Chemical Engineering 14 64% / 36% 7% $111,190
Civil Engineering 18 33% / 67% 28% $90,231
Computer Engineering 25 76% / 24% 8%
Earth and Environmental Engineering 20 35% / 65% 15%
Electrical Engineering 24 71% / 29% 21% $124,440
Industrial Engineering 4 25% / 75% 25%
Mechanical Engineering 81 73% / 27% 11% $102,350
Operations Research 50 42% / 58% 30% $210,883

Rankings

Academics

Future Patagonia Vest Owners Top Investment Banking Feeders
Will Network for a Superday
Future Ambulance Chasers Top Law School Feeders
Future SCOTUS Clerks

College Costs

We Marked It Up Just to Put It on Sale Highest List Price
Luxury Good

Prestige

Grandma Eyebrow Raisers Easy Brags for the Prestigious-Conscious
Ivies, But

My Tribe

Call Your Mother! Most Jewish
Huge Community

Engineering, Computing & Math

The Equation Whisperers Applied Mathematics
Wall Street Quants in Training
No, I Can't Fix Your Printer Computer Science
Chalkboard Masochists
The "I Understand Interstellar" Elite Physics & Astronomy
Quantum Leap
No Words Allowed Pure Mathematics
Theorem Crafters
p < 0.05 Statistics
The "Wanted to Code but Couldn't" Club
It's Not About Molecules, It's About Pipes Chemical Engineering
Math Masochists Scared of Actual Chemicals
Playing House Civil Engineering
Bridge Builders
Half-CS, Half-EE, Full Depression Computer Engineering
What's a Solder?
Resistance Is Not Futile Electrical Engineering
Ohm My God
Drill, Baby, Drill Energy & Mining Engineering
My Precious
Regular Engineering Just Wasn't Hurting My Brain Enough Engineering Physics
Too Nerdy for the Engineers, Too Practical for the Physicists
Making Spreadsheets Go Brrrr Industrial & Systems Engineering
The Suits
Is It a Solid? Is It a Liquid? Yes. Materials Engineering
Alloy Stars
WD-40 & Duct Tape Mechanical Engineering & Robotics
Whiteboard-preferred

Life & Natural Sciences

Pre-Med Reject Waiting Room Biology
Darwin's Favorites
Breaking Bad Chemistry
Quantum Masochists & Chalkboard Wizards
Rocks and Whales Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Plate Tectonics Elite
Doomsday Prepping with Data Environmental Science
Planet Savers
Memorizing 206 Bones Human Biology
The Cadaver Club
Lord of the Petri Dish Microbiology & Immunology
Antibody Avengers
Staring at a Gel Electrophoresis Until Our Eyes Bleed Molecular Biology & Genomics
Helix Heavyweights
Action Potentials Neuroscience
Rat Maze Architects
Future Heroes (With 12-Hour Shifts) Nursing
Florence Nightingale's Heirs
Legal Drug Dealers Pharmacy
Dosage Masters
Saving Lives One Spreadsheet At a Time Public Health
Epidemiology Elite
Jocks R'US Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
The Training Room

Business & Economics

PowerPoint Presentation Power Rankings Business Administration
We Don't Actually Offer Undergrad Business
Pivot Tables & Missing Pallets Business Analytics
VLOOKUP Virtuosos
It's Basic Supply and Demand, Bro Economics
The "Saltwater" Keynesian Minions
Wolf of Wall Street Prep Finance
Wait, I Majored in Econ?
Tik-Tok Generation Marketing
Campaign Ready

Humanities & Social Sciences

Professional Yapping Communication & Journalism
The "Our Alumni Control the Media" Mafia
Much Ado About Nothing English, Literature & Writing
The Great American Novelists
Saving the Planet, One Policy at a Time Environmental Policy & Sustainability
Sustainability Wonks
Smashing the Patriarchy 101 Gender Studies
The Theorists
Model UN Generation Government & Politics
Future Senators
Hindsight is 20/20 (And So is My Salary) History & Archaeology
The Archivists
Passport Stamp Collectors International Relations
UN Delegates
Future Lawyers (and Their Future Anxiety) Law
SCOTUS Hopefuls
I'll Figure Out the Career Later Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary
Renaissance Wannabes
The "Why Are We Here?" Support Group Philosophy & Ethics
Armchair Philosophers
I Want To Understand Myself Psychology
Group Chat Theorists
Decolonizing the Curriculum Regional & Ethnic Studies
Diaspora Scholars
Arguing with God for a Grade Religion
Sunday School Professors
Everything is a Construct Sociology & Anthropology
Social Theorists
Grammar Police Academy World Languages & Linguistics
Grammar Nerds

Education

Surviving PTA Karens General Education
Shaping the Shapers
Hablas Pedagogy? Languages Education
Polyglot Professors
History Repeats Itself Social Sciences Education
Civics Class Stars
Everyone Gets a Medal Special Education
Differentiated Instruction
Show Your Work, Then Teach It STEM Education
Math Whisperers

Arts

Sleep Deprivation by Design Architecture
Studio Culture
Explaining Splatters to Rich People Art History & Management
The Curatorial Elite
Lights, Camera, Tuition Film
Festival Circuit Royalty
The "Will Paint for Food" Brigade Fine & Studio Arts
The Ivory Towers of Paint
Eight Hours of Scales Music
Practice Room Prophets
Theatre Kid Generation Performing Arts
Encore Worthy