18 CommentsIncreases vary greatly among schools, as some CC and SEAS students will now be offered a tuition-free education while GS students will see a much more modest rise in aid.
Starting in the 2022–2023 school year, Columbia will be increasing financial aid for undergraduate students, most significantly for those in Columbia College and the School of Engineering. The increased aid means that students whose families have an annual income of up to $150,000 with typical assets will now be able to attend Columbia College and the School of Engineering tuition-free. Additionally, the University announced that it will increase aid packages for CC and SEAS families at or below an annual income of $66,000 dollars; with this increase, they will not be expected to contribute to the cost of a Columbia education. Previously, the cutoff for a full ride had been an annual income of $60,000. Read the full announcement here.
Though there will be increases in the amount of aid offered to students in the School of General Studies, the aid offered to GS students will continue to undershoot that offered to students in Columbia College or the School of Engineering. GS students will receive a 7.2% increase in aid relative to last year, with the University allotting a total of $37 million in aid for GS students next year. Unlike CC and SEAS students, GS students did not receive tuition-free summer classes last year and do not qualify for meal plans.
These changes bring financial aid at CC and SEAS in line with the aid offered by other Ivy League schools, all of which have lower tuition than Columbia. The cutoff for attending at no cost ranges from an annual income of $60,000 per year to $75,000 per year at other Ivy League universities, and the income cutoff for attending free of tuition ranges from $125,000 to $160,000 per year. The average Columbia student graduates with $21,979 in debt—slightly more than students attending similar schools.
In the 2022–2023 school year, Columbia’s estimated cost of attendance (including the cost of books and “personal [items]”) will be $85,967, up from an estimated $82,584 in the 2021–2022 school year.
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18 Comments
@Michael Thaddeus I’m glad to see such vigorous discussion, in Bwog’s coverage and in the comments, about the shocking disparities in financial aid packages between CC/SEAS and GS. Some related issues are discussed in Section 7 of my article about Columbia’s US News ranking.
http://www.math.columbia.edu/~thaddeus/ranking/investigation.html
@@anon People out here asking why get a product you can’t buy. Maybe we want to obtain a degree too?
The point is that Columbia advertises GS as a beacon of diversity compared to other Ivy League schools and prides itself with the “inclusivity” and “diversity” GS provides re veterans, POC, non-traditional students, actors, professional artists, etc., who want to return to school to pursue their degrees. You can’t be bragging about people you don’t help. Might as well brag that you’re priming people you claim to help to end up with a graduation gift of immense debt, if they even complete the degree because of how infeasible this is. HELP GS, TOO.
@Alum. GS was meant to be a small school for Vets and older returning students to finish a degree on the GI bill or Pell Grants. It was never meant to be a full undergraduate college now almost the size of the College. Dean Awn exploded and exploited the school, much to everyone’s detriment to gain leverage. The GS students are straddled with debt, and the College students lose their space and intimate elite education with small classes and seminars that they have to share.
@Anonymous Exactly right. Unfortunately, it takes a little memory–or research–to understand how GS slowly but surely has been redefined.
@Alum This sentiment is so comically elitist. I have no other words than to say I find it disgusting to share an alumni network with you. You and anyone who upvoted should be ashamed of themselves. GS students earned their spot here. They are an integral part of our university, and reflect how elite higher education can be egalitarian and accessible. It is not a burden for CC and SEAS students to share space with non-traditional students, it was, and is, our greatest privilege. Perhaps you should check yours.
@Anonymous And they will keep charging GS students the full $86000 even if their annual income is less than $20000. Glad Columbia is AGAIN all about inclusion and belonging!
@Anonymous Why would you attend an 80K a year school when you only make 20K? That is a very poor choice on your part. You are not owed a Lamborghini or a Porche.
@Anonymous As a GS student I have to pay $110,000 next year, and my combined income was $50,000 as a firefighter/medic. So, I guess I have to go into financial ruin to attend.
@Anonymous Why did you buy something you cannot afford? That is not Columbia’s fault.
@Anonymous Yes, you’re right, poor people should have no aspirations to gain access to the same quality of education as those who can afford it. The type of education that has the potential to improve one’s financial stability. We should most definitely perpetuate the cyclical and compounding effects where opportunities create only more opportunities but only for those who can most easily afford it. Damn the poor for trying to escape this cycle.
Do you seriously not have compassion or the ability to empathize with others’ struggles? Or see education as a social good? What’s the point of civilization and society if it is not to improve the lives of everyone in it? Perhaps it’s debatable whether or not “Columbia fault”, but the system is obviously broken and Columbia isn’t helping; and by your comment, it seems like you don’t care either.
@Anonymous If you look carefully, Columbia rolls GS Pell Grant recipients data about the university’s inclusiveness (“We have more Pell students than any other Ivy!”).
However, they carve out the same GS students when talking about the generosity of the university and needs-based aid.
@Anonymous And where is the consideration for General Studies? Oh wait.. the Columbia cycle of discrimination continues while they continue to hide behind performative actions such as these.
@Anonymous Meanwhile many gs students continue to be homeless going to class with no food in their stomach.
@Anonymous General Studies will never exist
@Anonymous Wow. This is great news!
@GS Student Debt But they’ll continue their exploitation of GS students lmao. These people are such sanctimonious hypocrites.
@Alum Harvard Extension School, Brown Extension School, Penn College of Liberal Studies etc offer no financial aid and poor integration with their main undergraduate divisions. You never hear about them and their stats are not included in any publications. The other schools don’t even offer vets and returning students any opportunities. Say what you want, but Columbia is the best option.
@Anonymous It’s a double edged sword really. I mean yeah you do get the degree and the full experience but at the same time they have no qualms about saddling poor students with 100k in debt lol. These are generally liberal leaning people so I would love to hear exactly from the administration why they think this isn’t bad. Tell me why saddling poor people with 100k in debt is good.