Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · CUCNY · Columbia University
Private institution in New York, NY · 8,899 undergraduates · 4% acceptance rate · $102,491 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 0%Acceptance rate
- Top 0%Median ACT
- Top 1%Average SAT
- Top 2%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $20,1481,081st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $69,0452,023rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $69,0452,023rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $86,0421,967th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,500807th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $102,49131st highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $88,53530th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 95.0%39th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 97.2%84th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 4.2%6th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 15478th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 351st highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 8,899287th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6.0:194th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 22.5%1,570th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 5 mi (LGA)
On 19 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
- Most Selective Colleges in New York#1
- Ivy League — All Eight Schools, Ranked by Selectivity#2
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#3
- the Highest ACT Scores#4
- Most Selective Colleges in America#4
- Foreign Languages#5
- Appear on the Most Lists#5
- Resume Signal — Top 100 Undergraduate Brands#6
- the Highest SAT Averages#8
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#9
- History#16
- Mathematics & Statistics#16
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#18
- Area & Ethnic Studies#19
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#21
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#25
- Computer Science#25
- Social Sciences#25
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#25
Admitted class profile (Fall 2024 entering class (Columbia College & Columbia Engineering); geography from Class of 2029)
- SAT composite (median)
- 1540
- ACT composite (median)
- 35
- States represented
- 50
- International
- 16%
- First-generation
- 19%
Sources: opir.columbia.edu, undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 72 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | bachelors | $107,089 | $103,078 |
| Operations ResearchEngineering | bachelors | $106,421 | $84,653 |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $91,744 | $84,653 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $76,460 | $90,856 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $74,576 | $74,953 |
| EconomicsSocial Sciences | bachelors | $72,710 | $79,419 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,499 | $69,338 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,324 | $64,706 |
| StatisticsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $59,124 | $61,516 |
| Social Sciences, OtherSocial Sciences | bachelors | $57,318 | — |
| Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences | bachelors | $54,593 | $56,415 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $52,941 | $75,204 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1754source
- Motto: "In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen"source
- Athletic nickname: "Lions"source
- Mascot: Roar-ee the Lionsource
- Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium seats about 32,000source
- Competes in Ivy Leaguesource
- Campus size: about 299 acressource
- Formerly known as "King's College"source
- Formerly known as "(1754–1784)"source
- Formerly known as "Columbia College"source
- Formerly known as "(1784–1896)"source
- Athletic conference: Ivy Leaguesource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Notable alum: Barack Obamasource
- Notable alum: Theodore Rooseveltsource
- Notable alum: Isaac Asimovsource
- Notable alum: B. R. Ambedkarsource
- Notable alum: Milton Friedmansource
Athletics — 18 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)
- Archery
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Other Sports
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Squash
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Columbia University in the City of New York’s 8,899 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In NY
- Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · 9,117 undergrads
- College of Staten Island CUNYStaten Island, NY · 9,387 undergrads
- St. John's University-New YorkQueens, NY · 9,742 undergrads
- Pace UniversityNew York, NY · 7,725 undergrads
- Fashion Institute of TechnologyNew York, NY · 7,575 undergrads
- Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · 10,239 undergrads
Elsewhere
- University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · 8,923 undergrads
- University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO · 8,870 undergrads
- Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · 8,960 undergrads
- Southern Illinois University-EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL · 8,836 undergrads
- Texas Woman's UniversityDenton, TX · 8,804 undergrads
- University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI · 8,995 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecolumbia.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 190150)
- Compare colleges in NYRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in New YorkEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Farmingdale State CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Columbia University in the City of New York vs Farmingdale State CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 18 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.