Enrollment: 5677
Most Popular Majors: Engineering, General,English Language and Literature, General,Political Science and Government, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 01/02
Student Faculty Ratio: 6:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 186
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $32,035.00

Best College Library
Great College Towns
Easiest Campus to Get Around

Students Say - Academics
Nestled in Manhattan's upper west side neighborhood and "at the crossroads of the world," Columbia's campus "itself is an inspiration and a motivation to push and to excel academically." While being "one of the world's great research universities," the school still manages to feel "closer to a liberal arts college than a gigantic mega-school." Students are drawn to this "first rate intellectual oasis" for its "holistic education" and "rich, historic Columbia core curriculum," which "surveys the humanities and the sciences" and "serves as a knowledge base as well as the connecting thread to all Columbia students." Another boon is the "high quality" of "thought-provoking" and "brilliant and successful" professors who are "truly invested in teaching the things they love to their students" but who "will not hold your hand or check up on you." "It is very, very difficult to get an A here, but it's difficult to do too much worse as well." Using a "tough love" approach, Columbia "believes in treating its students like adults" and pushes them toward "independence and self sufficiency" while providing "amazing resources in fields of networking, research, and internships" that will make everyone "a better citizen of the world." Although students acknowledge that Columbia's administration "truly cares about its students and the health of the school," many wish to improve the school's bureaucracy, which is "notoriously difficult to deal with."

Students Say - Campus Life
"Columbia is as cosmopolitan and entertaining as New York City," sums up one satisfied student. Provided with "the best of both worlds," students often take advantage of their "secluded and idyllic green" campus' prime location, which gives them "unparalleled access to all the resources of the greatest city in the world." Another student boasts that attending Columbia gives you an "easy pass to the city, whether you are visiting museums for free with a flash of your ID or seeing your application pushed to the front when applying for amazing internships." The majority of students "venture downtown at least once a week to see a Broadway show, go to a concert or museum, or just explore." For those who are not tempted by the "free admission to over 30 museums in New York" or "a meal or dessert in Chinatown or Little Italy," there are plenty of "campus clubs and activities, including the fraternity and sorority scenes or on-campus parties." With a campus that "caters to every single person that comes through its doors," Columbia is "like being in a really rich agar" where students can pursue whatever they are interested in from "engaging in intellectual conversation" to "getting involved in politics through student groups on campus to continuing (or discovering) a love for the arts by being a part of a musical ensemble."

Students Say - Student Body
A "diverse community of serious thinkers who also know how to have fun," Columbia students describe themselves as "bookworms" who are "cynical but enthusiastic" as well as "very politically active and liberal." With "driven" people "from distinct backgrounds, distinct ideologies, distinct everything," Columbia students list the school's diversity as one of its strengths, but one student cautions that "the diversity could use less of a leftist bias." "Extremely smart and interested in learning for its own sake," a "typical" Columbia student "has strong views but is willing to discuss and change them." Columbia students are also "more intense than those you might find at other schools," points out one student. Indeed, during exam season it's not uncommon to see students "bring sleeping bags and cases of Red Bull to the library." Despite this intensity, there is "a minimal amount of ill-intended competition," and "nobody is scrutinized for being different or pressured to be anything they are not."

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