Columbia MBA

01 · Class profile

Who is in the Columbia MBA class

This is the class entering 2025, the newest class profile on Columbia's site: January and August 2025 entries, 758 students in August and 224 in January. Columbia has not published a profile for the class entering 2026.

Columbia says 7,477 applications were received and 72 countries are represented by citizenship. It does not publish an admit rate, an average age or a range for work experience.

Columbia's pages differ: its class-profile page says the 982 students are in 14 clusters (10 for August entry, 4 for January entry), while its cluster-system page lists 13 (A to I for the fall term, W to Z for the January term). This page uses the class-profile page.

Test scores, class entering 2025

The two GMAT editions are separate rows and are not comparable. Columbia does not say what the ranges represent, or how many students took each test, and publishes no minimum score. The average undergraduate GPA is 3.6.

Undergraduate major (share of students)

Share of the class entering 2025, as Columbia groups majors.

Previous industry (share of students)

Share of the class entering 2025, as Columbia groups industries. Columbia's own bucket called Other is 8%, shown last. The shares as printed add up to 101% because of rounding.

Columbia says about 70% of full-time MBA students begin in August and about 30% in January.

02 · Placements

Where Columbia MBA graduates go

Class of 2025, from Columbia's 2025 Employment Report, the newest one; Columbia has not published a report for the Class of 2026. Offers are counted three months after graduation.

The report includes sponsored students. Its compensation figures leave out students returning to a sponsoring or previous employer, starting their own business or joining a family business, and cover only students who reported compensation.

Columbia's report shows dollar amounts without naming the currency. We understand them to be US dollars, since 82% of offers were in the US, though Columbia does not say so. It publishes no mean salary and does not say how many students reported pay.

Pay, Class of 2025

Columbia shows these three lines separately and we do not add them together. Guaranteed compensation does not include tuition reimbursement, relocation compensation, carry or nonguaranteed performance bonuses.

By three months after graduation, 92% had received offers and 90% had accepted. At the end of the year the report gives 96% received offers and 95% accepted. Graduates accepted full-time jobs with 346 organisations, and more than 200 employers hired Columbia MBAs for the first time.

Industry of the job (share of offers)

Share of offers to the Class of 2025, as Columbia groups industries. The shares as printed add up to a little under 100%. Columbia's own bucket called Other is 4.2%, shown last.

Function of the job (share of offers)

Share of offers to the Class of 2025. Consulting includes internal consulting and strategic planning (5.7%). Management includes general management and leadership development programmes (2.5%) and operations (3.2%).

Location of the job (share of offers)

Share of offers to the Class of 2025. Median base salary was $175,000 in the United States and $95,976 in Asia. Columbia's report does not name India separately.

Employers

The ten largest employers of the Class of 2025, as Columbia lists them. Total hires include graduates returning to a sponsoring or previous employer.

Also listed with four to seven hires each: Citigroup, Lazard, Moelis & Company, UBS Group, Guggenheim Securities, Perella Weinberg Partners, AllianceBernstein, BlackRock, Capital One, Ernst & Young Global, IBM, L.E.K. Consulting and PJT Partners.

03 · Fees and scholarships

What it costs, and how to pay less

These are Columbia's 2026-2027 figures for the first year (nine months), August entry, in US dollars. January entry has its own eight-month budget, with a total of $136,104 and different lines. It publishes no two-year total and no separate 2027-28 figure.

Columbia says tuition and fees generally increase 2% to 7% in the second year.

First-year budget, 2026-2027

Mandatory fees include the university services and support fee, a one-time document fee, the health services fee and the Columbia Business School programme fee. The loan and international student office fees are left out.

Columbia says the budget is the most funding you can receive through scholarships, fellowships, sponsorship or loans. It does not cover relocation, apartment deposits, study tours, treks and recruiting trips, uninsured medical costs, optional club dues, summer expenses, cluster travel, conferences or past or current consumer debt.

Application fee and deposits

Deposits are nonrefundable and count toward first-semester tuition and fees. Columbia publishes the amounts but not the due dates. A reapplication also costs US$250.

Scholarships and aid

For August entry, Columbia says awards range from $25,000 per academic year to full-tuition awards, and you hear about aid with your admission decision. Applicants in Rounds 1 and 2 get priority for awards.

Merit awards renew in the second year with satisfactory academic progress and Honor Code adherence. Need-based awards renew with Honor Code adherence. Outside awards and sponsorships must be reported to the financial aid office and could affect eligibility.

Columbia does not publish what share of students receive aid.

04 · Rounds and deadlines

Which round, and by when

These are the three rounds for August 2027 entry. Columbia says the August 2027 application is open now, and every deadline is 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Time.

Columbia says funding priority needs a complete application by the Round 1 or Round 2 deadline. The recommendation and the application fee must also be in by the deadline for an application to count as complete.

Columbia reviews August-entry applications by round, only after each deadline, and only if all required materials have arrived. An application that is not complete by its deadline moves to the next available round.

Columbia's table gives an 'interview decisions' date for each round. Interviews are by invitation only. Columbia does not publish the date the August 2027 application opened.

Columbia encourages partners who apply in the same year to apply in the same round. Columbia says it does not offer deferrals, apart from case-by-case exceptions for mandatory military deployment or an unobtainable visa.

January 2027 entry (closed)

Columbia says the January 2027 application is closed, and it publishes no dates yet for January 2028 entry. January-entry applications are reviewed on a rolling basis within each round.

You can apply only once to a given entry term. Columbia keeps applications for one year, and a reapplication within 12 months of the original term uses a shorter path (see section 07).

05 · Clubs and activities

Life outside class

Columbia says it has over 80 clubs, and that every student may join any club. It groups them as affinity, athletic, community service, international, professional and social clubs and leadership boards.

What some clubs do

Also on Columbia's list

Asian Business Association; Technology Club; Artificial Intelligence Club; Marketing Association of Columbia; Adam Smith Society; Arts Society; Black Business Student Association; Brazil Club; Energy & Infrastructure Club; FinTech and Blockchain Club; Gaming & Esports Club; General Management Association; Greater China Society; Green Business Club; Hispanic Business Association; Japanese Business Association; Korean Business Association; Latin America Business Association; Muslims in Business; Southeast Asian Business Association; Sports Business Association; Veterans Club; Wine Society; and many more.

Events

Described as Columbia describes them on its student clubs page. Clubs change what they run each year.

06 · Process

From application to decision

1. Choose your entry pointBefore you apply

   August entry is 20 months including a summer internship. January entry is 16 months over four consecutive semesters, with no formal summer internship. The two merge in the fall of the second year and graduate as one class.

   Columbia says both have the same faculty, curriculum and admissions standards. January 2027 entry is closed.

2. Apply online

   Submit your application through the portal, with the recommendation and the US$250 fee, by the round deadline.

   Columbia reviews an application only when all required materials have arrived.

3. Interview, by invitation

   You cannot request an interview. Columbia invites some applicants to a virtual interview with a current second-year student, an alumnus or an admissions team member.

   Columbia does not publish how many interviews there are, their length or the question format.

4. Decision

   Columbia releases August-entry decisions on fixed dates. All decisions are final and there is no process for appeal.

   Columbia gives no individual feedback on denied applications and the pages we read do not describe a waitlist.

5. Secure your spotAfter admission

   Pay the nonrefundable deposits. Columbia counts them toward first-semester tuition and fees.

   A financial guarantee statement is optional until you are admitted but is required to get the I-20.

07 · What you need

What goes into the application

1. Eligibility

A bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited institution, with PDF transcripts from every undergraduate and graduate institution. Columbia reviews three-year degrees case by case. Report your GPA as it appears on the transcript, with no conversion to a 4.0 scale. Columbia publishes no minimum work experience or minimum GPA. College seniors are pointed to the Deferred Enrollment Program.

2. Test score

A valid GMAT (10th Edition or Focus Edition), Executive Assessment or GRE score, self-reported when you submit. If you are admitted, you must send an official score report for every score on the application. Scores are valid for five years from the test date. Columbia considers only your highest score and does not combine sub-scores. It has no preference between tests, publishes no minimum score and offers no waiver.

3. English test

Columbia says international students are not required to submit a language test such as the TOEFL, and that your verbal score on the GRE or GMAT is sufficient.

4. Short answers and essays

Columbia's pages differ: its requirements page says applicants complete two short answer questions and three essays, while its admissions page says one short answer question and three essays. This page uses the requirements page, which shows both questions in full.

The requirements page does not label the cycle. These prompts are live beside the open August 2027 application.

Short answer 1 (required, 50 characters maximum)

Short answer 2, August entry (required, 50 characters maximum)

Essay 1 (required, 500 words)

Essay 2 (required, 250 words)

Essay 3 (required, 250 words)

Optional essay (maximum 500 words)

Reapplicant essay (required for reapplicants, maximum 500 words)

Columbia says only the reapplicant essay is required for reapplicants, with no other essays. For January entry, Short answer 2 asks 'Why do you prefer the January-entry term?'

Columbia says generative AI may be used for idea generation and editing, but using it to generate complete responses violates the Honor Code. All content is subject to verification, and offers can be rescinded for misrepresentation or omission.

5. One recommendation

First-time applicants need one recommendation, and Columbia says it will look at only one letter. If you have worked full-time for at least six months, Columbia prefers your current supervisor, or a statement of explanation in the Recommendation section if that is not possible. It also accepts a former direct supervisor or another professional associate senior to you who can speak to your candidacy. The recommended limit is 1000 words, and you must not take part in drafting it.

Columbia asks the recommender to compare your performance, potential, background or personal qualities with other well-qualified people in similar roles, and to describe the most important constructive feedback they have given you and your response.

Columbia asks recommenders to use an institutional or professional email and a letterhead where possible. A reference from a personal or anonymous email account puts your admission at risk of being rescinded if significant discrepancies are found. Columbia may verify recommendations by email and phone after admission.

6. Video or assessment

Columbia's pages state no video essay and no separate written or video assessment for the full-time MBA. The interview, by invitation, is the only live step.

7. Resume and other documents

A current resume or CV, ideally one page and no more than two. The employment section of the application must list all full-time work since your undergraduate degree, including military service and entrepreneurial ventures. Part-time work and internships can go on the resume. You also pay the US$250 fee.

08 · What Columbia wants

How Columbia reads your file

Columbia describes the students it looks for in its own words. Here is what each phrase means for your application.

Columbia publishes no weights or scoring rubric for these areas. It says its admissions standards are the same for August and January entry.

For reapplicants, Columbia lists changes it looks for: a significant change in responsibilities at work, improved test scores, refined career goals, new recommendations and new interests outside work.

09 · Interview questions

What candidates say Columbia interviewers ask

Five questions that show the pattern, based on candidates' own accounts of their Columbia interviews, not a list from Columbia. The tag says how likely that type of question is: high means it comes up in close to half of candidate accounts or more, medium in roughly a quarter to just under half, and low in fewer than a quarter. Nobody gets a fixed list.

The tags show the long-run pattern across the accounts. Walking through your resume, behavioural 'tell me about a time' questions, and how you will contribute to the community also come up often.

Candidates in recent accounts also describe questions on which other schools you applied to and where Columbia ranks for you. Cases, guesstimates and current-affairs questions are not reported.

10 · Interview experience

What the interview is actually like

What Columbia says

What candidates report

Based on candidates' own accounts of recent interviews. Not all accounts are recent, so treat them as signals, not trends, and check Columbia's pages for the current format.

11 · FAQs

Questions students ask about Columbia MBA