Address: 116th St & Broadway, 10027 New York City, New York, United States
Journalism, Arts and Sciences, Medicine
Established in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the US and a global leader in numerous fields, including journalism, arts, sciences, medicine, law, and engineering.
Columbia University was founded in 1754 by royal charter of George II as King’s College, and it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York State. Classes first met in a schoolhouse near Trinity Church. After the Revolution it became Columbia College, and in 1897 it moved to the Morningside Heights campus in Upper Manhattan, designed by McKim, Mead and White. Low Memorial Library, with its dome and steps, is the symbol of the campus. It has about 34,000 students and 15,000 staff.
The university includes Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of General Studies, Barnard College as an affiliated college, and large graduate and professional schools. The Graduate School of Journalism, created in 1912 with the support of Joseph Pulitzer, administers the Pulitzer Prizes. The business school, the law school, the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the School of International and Public Affairs are well known.
Columbia College is known for the Core Curriculum, a set of required courses in literature, philosophy, art, music and science taken by all undergraduates, which dates back to the 1919 course on contemporary civilisation. Alumni include Alexander Hamilton, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, B. R. Ambedkar and Barack Obama. In science, the Manhattan Project began there, where Enrico Fermi and others worked on nuclear fission in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Applicants apply through the usual American process, with a holistic review. Financial aid is need-based, and international applicants are considered for aid. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English. The graduate schools charge their own rates.
The campus is enclosed and green, and the subway line 1 stops at 116th Street, offering a direct link to Midtown. Housing in New York is expensive, and the university guarantees rooms to undergraduates for a number of years.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Physics, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Ivy League institution. Located in New York City, offering unparalleled access to global industries, culture, and international organizations. Administers Pulitzer Prizes. Member of AAU. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is a key research center.
Research:
A world-leading research university with exceptional strengths across arts and sciences, medicine, law, journalism, engineering, and public health. Very high research activity. Numerous Nobel laureates.
Ivy League education in a global city, world-renowned faculty and research, extensive resources and cultural opportunities, strong international focus.
Cons
Extremely competitive admissions, very high cost of living and attendance, large and intense urban environment, campus space is limited.
Best For
Highly ambitious students seeking a prestigious Ivy League education and research opportunities in a vibrant global city, with strong programs across a vast array of disciplines from arts and humanities to STEM and medicine.
University of Pennsylvania works in much the same fields, chiefly project management, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
A good alternative in the same country is Stanford University, which likewise covers physics, life sciences and data analytics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers bioengineering as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of project management, life sciences and data analytics can consider Duke University, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers bioengineering and ecology and sustainability as well.
Where this university leans on project management, life sciences and data analytics, Cornell University does the same, and it is slightly smaller, at about 26,000 students against roughly 34,200 here, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
New York University overlaps with this university on data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering, so the two are easy to compare, and it is larger, enrolling about 60,000 students against roughly 34,200 here, and is also a private institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, University College London in the United Kingdom is where physics, life sciences and data analytics get a comparable treatment; it is slightly larger, at about 48,000 students against roughly 34,200 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Looking internationally, The University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom is where physics, life sciences and data analytics get a comparable treatment; it covers robotics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 46,000 students against roughly 34,200 here.
Seen from abroad, Korea University (South Korea) is a close relative on subject matter, since physics, life sciences and data analytics are central to both, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers finance and chemistry as well.
If this university is on your list for physics, life sciences and data analytics, McGill University in Canada deserves a comparison, because it is slightly larger, at about 39,500 students against roughly 34,200 here, and is public, whereas this university is private.
On content, Yonsei University in South Korea and this university are close, as both teach physics, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly smaller, at about 29,832 students against roughly 34,200 here, and is also a private institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Columbia University?
In Morningside Heights, in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
When was it founded?
In 1754, as King's College.
How large is it?
About 34,000 students and 15,000 staff.
Who designed the campus?
McKim, Mead and White, and the university moved there in 1897.
What is the Core Curriculum?
A set of required courses in literature, philosophy, art, music and science taken by all undergraduates at Columbia College.
What does the Graduate School of Journalism do?
It administers the Pulitzer Prizes.
Who studied there?
Alexander Hamilton, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, B. R. Ambedkar and Barack Obama.
What is the link with the Manhattan Project?
Enrico Fermi and others worked on nuclear fission at Columbia in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
What is Barnard College?
An affiliated college of the university.
How is financial aid decided?
It is need-based, and international applicants are considered for aid. Check the current tariff.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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