Published October 28, 2026.
Columbia offered admission to 2,581 of 61,031 applicants to the Class of 2030. That is 4.23 percent, and it is the count Columbia published on decision day, March 26, 2026. For the Class of 2029, the decision-day announcement was 2,557 offers from 59,616 applications, or 4.29 percent. By August 21, 2025, Columbia's class profile listed 2,946 total admits from those same 59,616 applications, or 4.94 percent, and 1,806 students enrolled. Use the decision-day rate to see the March offer, and the profile to see the class that actually arrived. Both numbers are Columbia's.
The two most recent classes
| Release | Applicants | Admits | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class of 2030, March 26, 2026 announcement | 61,031 | 2,581 offered that day | 4.23% |
| Class of 2029, decision-day announcement | 59,616 | 2,557 offered that day | 4.29% |
| Class of 2029 profile, August 21, 2025 | 59,616 | 2,946 total admits | 4.94% |
The gap between 2,557 and 2,946 is why a single "Columbia acceptance rate" causes arguments. Columbia's acting president wrote on August 29, 2025 that offers continued through June, that the response to the first offers was strong, and that Columbia chose to admit more students. The profile itself says its figures can differ from the Common Data Set because the date is different. A family comparing colleges should say which document the percentage came from.
The Class of 2029 profile also says 1,806 first-year students enrolled, 19 percent were the first in their family to attend college, and 21 percent received a Pell Grant. Average grants and scholarships for aid recipients were $77,908, and the class received more than $66 million in grants and scholarships. The president's letter puts international students at 16 percent of the class, from 83 countries. The March announcement said about half of admitted students had been offered aid so far, and that Columbia meets full demonstrated need without loans, including for students who are not U.S. citizens.
Earlier years, from Columbia's own table
| Fall | Class | Applications | Admits | Enrolled | Rate from the counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2028 | 60,247 | 2,325 | 1,483 | 3.86% |
| 2023 | 2027 | 57,126 | 2,284 | 1,454 | 4.00% |
| 2022 | 2026 | 60,374 | 2,255 | 1,463 | 3.74% |
| 2021 | 2025 | 60,551 | 2,355 | 1,560 | 3.89% |
OPIR includes first-year and Academic Success Program applicants and excludes external transfers and Combined Plan applicants. Yield in that table, enrolled divided by admits, sits in the mid-60 percent range for these four years. The PDF stops at fall 2024, so the Classes of 2029 and 2030 are not in it yet.
Early Decision is binding. Columbia has not published the ED admit rate.
The Class of 2029 profile says 5,872 of the 59,616 applicants applied through Early Decision. That is about one in ten applicants. The profile does not say how many of those 5,872 were admitted, or what share of the 1,806 enrolled students came from Early Decision. A claim that Early Decision admits 10 to 12 percent, or that it fills about half the class, needs a Columbia document that states those figures. The documents above do not.
The rule for a student applying now is still clear, because Columbia publishes the rule. For the class entering in fall 2027, Early Decision is due November 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. applicant local time. Regular Decision is due January 1, 2027. Financial aid materials are due November 15, 2026 for Early Decision and February 15, 2027 for Regular Decision. Admission is binding. The student withdraws every other application. Columbia will release the agreement for financial reasons after a conversation with its aid office, and it says the aid available does not depend on which round the student used. Decisions come in mid-December. Our comparison of early decision and early action puts that next to Harvard's Restrictive Early Action and MIT's Early Action, which are not binding.
Testing this cycle, and what the rate is for
Columbia is test-optional for the 2026-27 admissions cycle. It will require standardized testing beginning in August 2027, for students applying in the 2027-28 cycle, with a waiver available for students who cannot test. A student applying this fall may apply without scores. A student who sends scores may use the SAT or the ACT. Columbia will read the ACT writing and science sections if the student includes them. Early Decision applicants may test as late as November 2026. Regular Decision applicants may test as late as February 2027 and should email the admissions office with that score.
Columbia does not print a middle-50 SAT or ACT range in the Class of 2029 profile or the Class of 2030 announcement, so this page does not invent one. The academic bar shows up in the size of the pool and in the writing Columbia asks for. Students apply with the Common App or the Coalition Application on Scoir, and QuestBridge finalists may use the QuestBridge application. The supplements are the place to be specific about Columbia. Our Columbia admissions guide and Columbia supplement guide cover that writing. For the cost, use Columbia's net price calculator before an Early Decision signature. Our financial aid guide is the general walk-through, and the Harvard acceptance rate page shows how a different Ivy publishes a single fall number instead of a decision-day offer count.
Questions families ask
What was Columbia's acceptance rate for the Class of 2030?
On March 26, 2026, Columbia said it offered admission to 2,581 students from 61,031 applications to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. That is 4.23 percent. It is the decision-day count. A later profile, after waitlist offers, was not yet the figure in that announcement.
What was Columbia's acceptance rate for the Class of 2029?
Columbia announced 2,557 offers from 59,616 applications, which is 4.29 percent. The Class of 2029 profile, current as of August 21, 2025, lists 2,946 total admits from the same 59,616 applications, which is 4.94 percent. The profile says its counts can differ from the Common Data Set because the reporting date is different.
Does Columbia publish an Early Decision acceptance rate?
The Class of 2029 profile says 5,872 applicants used Early Decision. It does not publish how many of those applicants were admitted. A published Early Decision applicant count is not an Early Decision acceptance rate.
Is Columbia Early Decision binding for the class entering in 2027?
Yes. The Early Decision deadline is November 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. in the applicant’s local time. An admitted student accepts the offer, withdraws other applications, and does not file new ones. Columbia releases the agreement for financial reasons after the student consults its financial aid office. The same aid is available in Early Decision and Regular Decision.
Does Columbia require the SAT or ACT this year?
Columbia is test-optional for the 2026-27 cycle, which is the class entering in fall 2027. It will require testing starting in August 2027, for the 2027-28 cycle. Students who choose to send scores this year may use the SAT or ACT.
Sources
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Class of 2030 announcement, March 26, 2026: 61,031 applications and 2,581 offers to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering.
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Class of 2029 announcement: 59,616 applications and 2,557 offers, full need without loans.
- Columbia Class of 2029 profile, current as of August 21, 2025: 2,946 total admits, 5,872 Early Decision applicants, 1,806 first-years, Pell and aid figures.
- Office of the President, August 29, 2025, on the larger set of offers and the enrolled class.
- OPIR admissions history, 2015-2024, prepared June 30, 2025.
- Columbia Early Decision and how to apply, for the November 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027 deadlines.
- Columbia testing policy: test-optional for 2026-27, required starting August 2027.
Where to go next
- How to get into Columbia
- Columbia supplemental essays
- Early decision vs early action
- Harvard acceptance rate
- Navigating financial aid
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