Columbia Acceptance Rate

Columbia University is rated as the top university in New York, per private Ivy league research. It was established in 1754 as King’s college by the royal charter of George II of Great Britain. Later it was renamed Columbia College in 1784 according to the revolutionary war. Its campus is spread over a size of 36 acres. The university has three undergraduate schools: The FU foundation school of engineering & applied science, Columbia college, and the school of general studies.
There are several graduate and professional schools at Columbia university, such as business school, law school, teachers’ college and college of physicians and surgeons, and a well-regarded school for graduate journalism school and college of dental medicine. The university is organized into twenty schools.
Columbia college’s first president was the great Samuel Johnson. The list of students features numerous alumni ranging from Nobel laureates, Oscar winners, politicians to supreme court judges. The college has also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its literature, journalism, and musical composition achievements.
The main campus of Columbia University is in Morningside Heights in the district of New York. It occupies six city blocks and is one of the largest campuses with 7800 apartments. It was designed according to the Beaux-Arts principles. The campus includes a national historic landmark, the Low Memorial Library, the site of the invention of the FM radio, and so on.
Contents
What is the Columbia university acceptance rate?
The overall acceptance rate of Columbia university is 6.7% and keeps on changing slightly based on different factors. The university received 60377 applications in the current year compared to last year’s, i.e., 60551. In 2019-2020, the university received 40083 applications, of which only 6.15% were admitted. Therefore, the last acceptance rate is 3.66%, which is identical to this year’s acceptance rate, which is 3.73%.
From all 50 states and 86 countries, only 2253 students received the acceptance letter for class 2026. Of these, 4% are identified as students of color, 3% are first-generation college students, 2% are Pell-grant-eligible students, and international students.
A table showing the acceptance rate of Columbia for class 2026
No. of applications | Accepted students | Accepted rate | |
Regular applications | 54072 | 1603 | 2.96% |
Early applications | 6305 | 650 | 10.31% |
Results of Columbia regular applications for class 2026
The result shows that Columbia university has received 54072 regular applications for class 2026, out of which only 1603 are accepted. Columbia is the most competitive school in the Ivy League, and its acceptance rate for regular admission is 2.96%. Columbia has received more applications in the past two years due to its test-optical policy.
Results of Columbia early applications for class 2026
The result shows that Columbia university has received 6305 early applications for class 2026, of which only 650 are accepted. It is very tough to get admission to Columbia University. So, apply early to get early admission to the university. Its acceptance rate for the year 2026 in early admissions is 10.31%.
A table showing a record of the past three years of Columbia university acceptance rate:
2024 class | 2025 class | 2026 class | |
Total received Regular applications | 40084 | 60551 | 60377 |
Applications admitted | 2465 | 2218 | 2253 |
Acceptance rate | 6.15% | 3.66% | 3.73% |
Total early received application | 4318 | 6435 | 6305 |
Total early acceptance rate | 15.05% | 10.10% | 10.31% |
Columbia Outreach Sessions
Columbia University also offers virtual outreach to students by conducting live virtual tours, student panels, chats, information sessions, joint sessions with peer institutions, and classes with faculty. In addition, in the 177 countries, the admission team of Columbia university is connected with the approx. 50,000 prospective students.
Crimson Students accepted by Columbia University
The university also provides education to crimson students; according to the reports, more than 23 students are accepted for crimson education. Crimson education means helping students in getting admission to the top university in the Ivy league. In the Ivy League, more than 489 students have been admitted. There is a division of acceptance by various Ivy leagues, such as:
- 81+ UC Berkeley and UCLA offers
- UPenn offers included several to Penn’s Wharton School of Business and the prestigious Huntsman Program.
- 117+ Crimson Ivy League offers, including 83 offers to the most competitive Ivies — Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and UPenn.
- 160+ offers to US Top 10 universities, including Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke, North-western, John Hopkins, and Caltech.
- 232 offers to the Top 25 US Universities
Conclusion
Columbia University’s acceptance rate keeps fluctuating and depends on the number of applications received. After starting the test-optical policy, the university is getting more and more applications. Therefore, it simultaneously affects the acceptance rate.
21K School World
Read our latest education blogs here. We are pioneers in proffering personalised, affordable and high-quality lessons using an advanced learning platform.

