Admissions Factors

What Columbia Looks For

Columbia rates 7 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities.

How Columbia rates each factor

Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.

Very important

Important

Talent or ability

Considered

Not considered

The numbers behind the class

Overall admit rate

4.9%

2,946 of 59,611 applicants

Early decision admit rate

14%

Early decision admits equal 46% of the class

Admitted from the waitlist

Not reported

Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 4.25. 94% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.

Email me what Columbia looks for

A link to this page, plus the comparison table for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

What does Columbia look for in applicants?

Does Columbia consider legacy status?

Columbia rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

Does Columbia track demonstrated interest?

Columbia rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".

What is Columbia's early decision acceptance rate?

Early decision: 819 of 5,868 applicants were admitted (14%), against 4.9% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.

Source: Columbia’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.