New York, NY · private · 8,973 undergraduates
Columbia University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Columbia College and Columbia Engineering admitted 4.94% of applicants for fall 2025, and Early Decision applicants were admitted at more than three times the rate of everyone else.
Net price per year at Columbia
$11,782
Reach · admit rate 4.94%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Columbia College and Columbia Engineering | 4.94% (1 in 20) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,510 to 1,560 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $99,774 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $11,782 |
| Share of the sticker price | 12% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Columbia net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Columbia College and Columbia Engineering Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 4.94%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,510 to 1,560
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $99,774
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $5,866
Columbia's acceptance rate for the class that entered in fall 2025 (Class of 2029) is 4.94%: 2,946 admitted out of 59,611 applicants to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, with 1,797 enrolling, per the Common Data Set 2025-26. Early Decision changed the picture: 14.0% of ED applicants got in, against 4.0% of the rest. Testing stays optional for students entering in fall 2027, then becomes required for the cycle that opens in August 2027, with a waiver for applicants who face challenges in meeting it. Enrolled students who reported the SAT scored 1,510 to 1,560 in the middle half. The 2026-27 first-year budget is $99,774 before travel. In 2023-24, aided families paid $2,275 on average between $30,001 and $48,000 and $11,782 between $75,001 and $110,000; today families under $150,000 with typical assets attend tuition-free.
The Early Decision gap at Columbia
Columbia's early round binds you, and it is where a large share of the class is chosen. For fall 2025, 819 of 5,868 Early Decision applicants were admitted, 14.0%, against 2,127 of the other 53,743 applicants, 4.0%. The two pools are not the same students, so the gap is not a measure of how much ED alone helps. It does show where the seats go: 28% of all offers were made in December. The deadline is November 1; the regular round closes January 1, with decisions in late March.
The commitment is real. If admitted in ED you withdraw every other application, which means accepting Columbia's aid offer without comparing it with another school's. The averages below show what aided families at each income level actually paid, the best check before signing.
Columbia: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$5,866
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 7% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
Test optional for one more year
Students applying in the 2026-27 cycle may skip the SAT and ACT. From August 2027, for the 2027-28 cycle, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering require one of the two, with a waiver for applicants who cannot test. In the fall 2025 class only 50% of enrolled students reported an SAT, so the range of 1,510 to 1,560 describes about half of the class.
Columbia: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
55%
| Middle 50% | 1,510 to 1,560 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, CDS 2025-26, C9 (897 SAT submitters, 311 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Where applicants come from, and what it does to the odds
New York residents had no advantage: 447 of 8,882 were admitted (5.0%), while other US applicants did slightly better at 2,092 of 35,349 (5.9%). International applicants, who are reviewed need-aware, were admitted at 2.6%, 407 out of 15,380. Domestic applicants are read need-blind, and Columbia meets full need with grants and work, no loans in the initial offer. The 2026-27 first-year budget of $99,774 includes $72,800 of tuition, $4,160 of fees and on-campus housing, which every first-year must use. Families earning under $66,000 owe no parent contribution. Students older or returning to school apply to Columbia School of General Studies, which publishes its own Common Data Set and is not counted here. For a binding round with the same Ivy pricing, compare Penn and Brown.
From Columbia University’s own documents
- Early Decision is a big lever: for fall 2025, 819 of 5,868 Early Decision applicants were admitted (14.0%), against 2,127 of the other 53,743 applicants (4.0%). source
- Families with incomes below $150,000 and typical assets attend tuition-free, and below $66,000 the parent contribution is $0. source
- The 2026-27 first-year on-campus budget is $99,774 before travel; first-year students are required to live on campus. source
- International applicants faced a tighter door for fall 2025: 407 of 15,380 were admitted (2.6%), against 447 of 8,882 New York residents (5.0%) and 2,092 of 35,349 other US applicants (5.9%). source
- Columbia stays test optional for fall 2027 entrants but will require the SAT or ACT from August 2027 for the 2027-28 cycle. source
- Columbia School of General Studies (for nontraditional students) publishes its own separate Common Data Set; the figures here cover Columbia College and Columbia Engineering only. source
Net price at Columbia University by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $4,570 | 5% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $2,275 | 3% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $5,866 | 7% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $11,782 | 13% |
| $110,001 and up | $50,621 | 57% |
| All aided students | $21,590 | 24% |
Cost of attendance at Columbia University, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $72,800 | |
| Fees | $4,160 | |
| Housing and food | $19,650 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,320 | |
| Personal | $1,844 | |
| Total | $99,774 |
Columbia University admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Columbia College and Columbia Engineering | 59,611 | 2,946 | 1,797 | 4.94% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3.99% |
SAT and ACT scores at Columbia University
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, CDS 2025-26, C9 (897 SAT submitters, 311 ACT submitters)) | 1,510 | 1,540 | 1,560 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Columbia College and Columbia Engineering (CDS 2025-26, C9 (897 SAT submitters, 311 ACT submitters))) | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 740 + 770 | n/a | 780 + 800 |
Outcomes at Columbia University
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 96% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 98% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $102,491 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $21,500 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 8,973 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 23% | 2023-24 |