Application Requirements
The following are the application requirements for undergraduate admission:
- Completed online application form
- $70 nonrefundable application fee (payable by credit card or check)
- Official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended, with an official translation if the original documents are not English.
- Please note that if you participated in a school outside of the United States, you must submit your international school transcript(s) and an official translation.
- The Office of Undergraduate Admissions does not accept unofficial translations. You may submit your initial application without these documents; however, they will need to be received before we can finalize your file for review by our faculty members.
Columbia-Specific Application Questions
There are no correct answers here; these essays are intended as tools for us (and other applicants) to better understand who YOU are as an individual, not simply what grades/test scores/etc., so don’t stress out about it too much!
Secondary School Report
A secondary school report is a document that summarizes your academic performance and character. It often includes information about extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and community service work. The Office of Undergraduate Admission requires all first-year applicants to submit their secondary school reports as part of the application process.
You can request a copy of your high school transcript from the guidance office at your current or most recent secondary school; they will mail it to us once we receive their request form (which you can find here). If you don’t attend an American high school, please send us copies of any equivalent documents instead (for example: if you attended college after graduating from high school).
2 Teacher Recommendations
The second recommendation is from a teacher. This can be the same teacher as your first recommender, or it can be someone else. If you choose to have two different teachers write recommendations, your application will have three letters of recommendation instead of two!
Your teachers should be able to say what they know about you and how their knowledge has affected their opinion of your character and abilities. They should also be able to say what they think you need to work on for Columbia University Undergraduate Admission First-Year Applicants like yourself to succeed at this level.
Standardized Tests
Columbia University uses the SAT and ACT as part of our holistic review process. Applicants are not required to submit scores from either test, but those who choose to do so may have an advantage in the admission process if their scores are high enough. University welcome applicants who have taken these tests multiple times; however, university do not super score across different versions of either exam (for example, combining your best Math score from each version of the SAT).
University also require two Subject Tests: one in a language other than English and one science subject test (chemistry or biology). If you took AP exams in high school instead of taking Subject Tests for these classes–or if you did not take any standardized tests at all–we encourage you to consider submitting AP scores instead of retaking them in college! For more information about how they use standardized testing results when reviewing applications.
Eligibility
You must be a high school student and at least 16 years old by the first day of classes. You must have graduated from high school or received equivalent certification by the time you submit your application. You must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all college-level work attempted (including repeated courses).
