Welcome home 2015!

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has just released the admissions statistics for the Class of 2015! The takeaway: shitloads of people applied to Columbia. The overall admission’s rate for this year was 6.9 percent, compared with last year’s 9.2%. We suspect this has a lot to do with the switch to the Common App, but regardless, congratulations are in order for next year’s freshpeople!

Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, made the following statement:

The Undergraduate Admissions staff and I take great pride in admitting the Class of 2015 to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Chosen from among 34,929 applicants in our most selective admissions cycle ever, admitted students hail from 73 countries and all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. We admitted 6.4% of students who applied to Columbia College and 9.9% of those who applied to Columbia Engineering, for an overall admit rate of 6.9%.

By virtue of our continued commitment to outreach and access, an increasing global awareness of Columbia’s reputation, and our new membership with The Common Application, we anticipated and were prepared for an increase in applications. Despite the volume of applications we received, we remained committed to a holistic, committee-based admissions process.

The applicant pool was not only the largest but also the most geographically, socioeconomically, and ethnically diverse in Columbia’s history. Applicants were academically talented in every respect and demonstrated remarkable skills and achievement in countless areas. And while we were unfortunately not able to offer admission to many exceptional students—undoubtedly the most difficult aspect of our job—we are thrilled to extend offers of admission to an incredibly diverse group of leaders, innovators, scientists, engineers, artists, and humanists who clearly articulated their fit with Columbia and New York City.

The Admissions Office is excited to welcome these future Columbians and their families to campus for our admitted student events in April, and to witness the remarkable contributions the Class of 2015 will make to our campus community.

Columbia College

  • Total number of applicants:  29,393
  • Total number of students admitted: 1,869
  • The overall admit rate for Columbia College was 6.4%

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Total number of applicants: 5,536
  • Total number of students admitted: 550
  • The overall admit rate for Columbia Engineering was 9.9%

Combined Schools – Class of 2015:

  • Total number of applicants: 34,929 (increase of 33% over previous year)
  • Total number of students admitted:  2,419
  • The overall admit rate for both schools was 6.9%