# Columbia University in the City of New York

Private nonprofit college in New York, NY. IPEDS ID 190150.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 4% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $21,590 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 96%; beats 99% of NY colleges and 99% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $102,491; beats 97% of NY colleges and 99% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $18,750

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,570 |
| 30-48k | $2,275 |
| 48-75k | $5,866 |
| 75-110k | $11,782 |
| 110k+ | $50,621 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.19 years on average (80% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $102,491 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,570 | $19,148 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $2,275 | $9,532 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $5,866 | $24,579 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $11,782 | $49,367 | under 1 year |
| 110k+ | $50,621 | $212,102 | 3.1 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $89,472
- Tuition and fees: $71,845
- Housing and meals: $16,800; books: $1,392

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 740–780; SAT math: 770–800; ACT: 34–35 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 57,613 applicants, 2,439 admitted, 1,540 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 4%, ACT 34–35 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 4%, ACT 34–35 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: rigor, class rank, gpa, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, character; important: talent; considered: test scores, first generation, alumni relation, geography, volunteer, work experience
- Early decision: not reported; early action: no; waitlist: yes
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 100% of need met; 855 of 855 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: ? students, average not reported
- Source: https://opir.columbia.edu/sites/opir.columbia.edu/files/content/Common%20Data%20Set/2025-26_Columbia_College_and_Columbia_Enginnering_CDS.pdf

## Majors (67 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $102,083 | $194,365 | not reported |
| Computer Science | $118,636 | $188,265 | $20,397 |
| Operations Research | $110,457 | $167,572 | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | $84,019 | $143,332 | $12,000 |
| Economics | $83,135 | $137,710 | $25,000 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $117,252 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | $72,036 | $111,491 | $16,960 |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | $108,246 | not reported |
| Sociology | $58,541 | $101,536 | $31,000 |
| Political Science | $61,077 | $100,245 | $22,943 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | $99,679 | not reported |
| History | $53,828 | $98,079 | $22,000 |
| Area Studies | $41,479 | $96,884 | $22,486 |
| Psychology (Research) | $53,156 | $86,946 | $20,500 |
| Sustainability Studies | $53,957 | $85,545 | $18,070 |
| Anthropology | not reported | $83,493 | $34,500 |
| Neuroscience | $33,893 | $70,244 | $27,000 |
| Social Sciences, Other | $34,845 | $65,085 | $26,000 |
| English | $35,838 | $59,396 | $25,500 |
| Philosophy | $52,668 | $56,885 | $20,062 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $55,206 | $55,472 | $18,799 |
| Biology | $40,935 | $53,698 | $19,892 |
| Writing | $36,244 | $47,702 | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | not reported | $46,535 | $26,971 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Architecture | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | $62,895 | not reported | $19,500 |
| Chemical Engineering | $55,154 | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Mechanics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Industrial Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $54,327 | not reported | $20,250 |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | $91,559 | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nutrition Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classical and Ancient Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cognitive Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Climate Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | $34,658 | not reported | $21,065 |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Materials Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Science Technologies / Technicians, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | $51,435 | not reported | $26,853 |
| Music | $32,924 | not reported | not reported |
| Nursing | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage $166,830 (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ), $166,180 (NY), $135,980 (U.S.)
- Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer: median wage $109,990 (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ), $102,440 (NY), $104,110 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).