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    Columbia University Acceptance Rate: Year-wise, Enrollment Reports, Admission Requirements
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    • Columbia University Acceptance Rate: Year-wise, Enrollment Reports, Admission Requirements

    Columbia University Acceptance Rate: Year-wise, Enrollment Reports, Admission Requirements

    Prabhjyot KaurUpdated on 23 Apr 2025, 12:17 PM IST

    Columbia University is a private Ivy League institution in New York. It is the fifth oldest university in New York founded in 1896. To join this university the applicants must beat the competitive pool of thousands of applications. The acceptance rate at Columbia University is 4%. This implies that only 4 out of 100 applicants receive CU admission. Very few universities have this competitive acceptance rate in the USA except Harvard University.

    This Story also Contains

    1. Columbia University Highlights
    2. Columbia University Acceptance Rate 2025
    3. Columbia University Enrollment Reports for International Students
    4. Columbia University Acceptance Rate Trends
    5. Columbia University Admission Requirements
    6. Columbia University English Language Requirements
    7. Columbia University Standardized Exam Score Requirements
    Columbia University Acceptance Rate: Year-wise, Enrollment Reports, Admission Requirements
    Columbia University Acceptance Rate for International Students 2025

    The admission applications for Columbia University are inclusive from across the globe from different backgrounds. The Columbia University international student acceptance rate is nearly as in the previous year which is approximately 3.9%. Due to the prestige of the famous colleges with academic brilliance and research, the acceptance rate is justified.

    The selection procedure of Columbia University is highly dependent on the admission criteria that encompasses the GPA and LORs. The lowest GPA for securing admission in the master's programs is approximately 3.0 to 3.65. The university ranks among the best universities globally according to the QS World University Ranking 2025. Read the article to find out the information about the Columbia University acceptance rate.

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    Columbia University Highlights

    Particulars

    Details

    Year of establishment

    1896

    Public/Private

    Private

    Acceptance rate

    4%

    No. of Students

    8,902

    Student-to-faculty ratio

    11:1

    Application Fee

    USD 85

    Application portal

    University Application Portal / Common App/ Coalition Application

    Tuition Fee (2025-2026)

    USD 65,524

    Also Read:

    Columbia University Acceptance Rate 2025

    For the class of 2028, Columbia University has received more than 60,248 applications from which only 3.8% of the students are accepted. Among the admitted students 63% have accepted the offer and enrolled into the Columbia University courses.

    Columbia University Acceptance Rate for Students

    Particulars

    Details

    Applicants in 2024

    60,248

    Admits

    2,319

    Acceptance Rate

    3.84%

    Enrollment students

    1,451(63% yield)


    Columbia University Acceptance Rate for Masters Courses

    Even though the overall CU acceptance rate is around 3 to 4%, the acceptance rate of each individual course can vary depending on the student applications for the particular course. Here are the details of acceptance rates of a few master's courses at the CU given in the table below.

    Columbia University master's Acceptance Rate

    Courses

    Acceptance Rate for 2025

    Master of Science in Accounting and Fundamental Analysis

    12%

    Master of Science in Financial Economics

    9%

    Master of Science in Marketing Science

    6.5%

    Also Read: Study in USA Benefits for International Students

    Columbia University Enrollment Reports for International Students

    Columbia University has one of the biggest international students count than many other universities in the USA. For the fall of 2025, a number of 13,838 international students are enrolled into Columbia University for both UG and PG courses from over 160 countries.

    A total of 23,246 international students and scholars are currently studying at Columbia University. One can check the international student enrollment data from various for fall 2025 given in the below table.

    Columbia University Enrollment of International Students for the Fall 2025

    Country

    UG Enrolled

    PG Enrolled

    China

    316

    6476

    India

    66

    1224

    Canada

    88

    431

    South Korea

    149

    330

    France

    63

    225

    Taiwan

    14

    210

    UK

    72

    163

    Indonesia

    8

    241

    Brazil

    38

    130

    Japan

    26

    144

    Singapore

    60

    96

    Read more: Important Documents to Take for Studying Abroad

    Columbia University Acceptance Rate Trends

    If you are a student planning your admission at Columbia University, then you can have a look at the acceptance rate of Columbia University over the past few years.

    Year-wise acceptance rate of Columbia University

    Admission Session

    Acceptance Rate

    2024

    3.84%

    2023

    3.9%

    2022

    3.7%

    2021

    4.1%

    2020

    6.7%

    2019

    5.4%

    2018

    5.9%

    2017

    6%

    2016

    6%

    2015

    6%

    2014

    7%

    Also Read:

    Columbia University Admission Requirements

    Students applying for Columbia University should know the admission requirements. Here are the essential requirements that go into a college application are mentioned below.

    For UG admissions:

    • Personal essay

    • High School Marklists

    • Teacher Recommendations/LOR

    • Standardised Tests like SAT/ACT are optional.

    • English language proficiency requirement: Submit your English language test scores for IELTS/TOEFL.

    • Additional supplementary materials of any extracurricular pursuits.

    For PG admissions:

    Also Check: How to Apply for US Universities from India?

    Columbia University English Language Requirements

    International students from India or other countries where English is not the native language need to submit English language test scores to prove their English language proficiency. The accepted English language test and their scores are mentioned in the below table. Additionally, there is an exception for these language tests, Columbia University does not require any English language tests if students submit the SAT or ACT scores of required criteria for UG applicants.

    Proficiency Test Scores Requirements at Columbia University

    Tests/Minimum Overall Scores

    Bachelor’s

    Master’s

    IELTS Academic

    7.5

    7.0 - 7.5

    TOEFL iBT or iBt Home Edition

    105

    100

    Duolingo English Test (DET)

    135

    -

    Cambridge English Assessment

    191

    -

    Check these out:


    Columbia University Standardized Exam Score Requirements

    As a part of the admission process, students are required to submit standardised exam scores to meet the course requirements. For UG students the SAT and ACT exams are not mandatory at Columbia University. However, students can still submit them to showcase their academic profile. The score requirement of the GRE and GMAT will be dependent on the master's courses chosen by the student.

    Minimum test scores requirement at Columbia University

    Standardised Tests

    Average Qualifying Score

    SAT(not mandatory)

    700

    ACT(not mandatory)

    29

    GRE

    744

    GMAT

    650 - 650

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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What are SAT scores required or Columbia university?
    A:

    The SAT composite score of 1490 to 1540 is the average score achieved by the UG students admitted in the Fall of 2025. So, an SAT score of a minimum of 1500 to 1520 is required to study at Columbia University.

    Q: Why the Columbia university has low acceptance rate?
    A:

    As the university receives more applications than the admission slots resulting in the rejection of many applicants. So this is making the Columbia university to have a low acceptance rate.

    Q: What is the GPA required for Columbia University?
    A:

    Most of the graduate programs at Columbia University require a GPA of 3.0 for admission purpose. Those who score lower than 3.0 may be eligible for conditional admission.

    Q: Is Columbia easier to get into than Harvard?
    A:

    The Columbia University acceptance rate of 3.8% is almost similar to that of the Harvard(3.4%). So this does not mean it is easier to get into Columbia than Harvard. Both universities have a challenging acceptance rate for the students in the admission process.

    Q: How is the admission selection done at Columbia University?
    A:

    The academic record of the students which is inclusive of high school grades, GPA, standardised test scores, essays and LOR are given the highest importance. Similarly, non-academic factors like extracurricular activities and personal qualities or the character of the students are given the highest importance while shortlisting the candidates for admission.

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