Admissions · United States

Columbia Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and English Requirements

Columbia admitted 2,585 of 61,031 first-year applicants to the Class of 2030 (entering fall 2026), an acceptance rate of 4.2%.

Columbia's undergraduate figures cover Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, which share one admissions process. The newest class comes from Columbia's Class of 2030 profile; earlier years, early decision, international and transfer figures come from the Common Data Set published by Columbia's Office of Planning and Institutional Research. Each figure is dated and linked, followed by the TOEFL and IELTS minimums.

Figures read from official sources on 3 October 2026 · LingoLeap Admissions Research

Columbia University acceptance rate by year

Columbia University applicants, admits and acceptance rate by admission cycle
Cycle	Applicants	Admitted	Acceptance rate
Class of 2030 (fall 2026)	61,031	2,585	4.2% source
Class of 2029 (fall 2025)	59,611	2,946	4.9% source
Class of 2028 (fall 2024)	60,247	2,325	3.9% source
Class of 2027 (fall 2023)	57,126	2,284	4.0% source

Columbia acceptance rate by round and applicant group

Columbia University acceptance rate by admission round, college or applicant group
Group	Cycle	Rate	Detail
Early Decision	Class of 2030	Not published	5,497 ED applications; Columbia has not published the number admitted early source
Early Decision	Fall 2025 (Class of 2029)	14.0%	819 admitted of 5,868 ED applicants source
Early Decision	Fall 2024 (Class of 2028)	13.2%	795 admitted of 6,007 ED applicants source
Early Decision	Fall 2023 (Class of 2027)	14.7%	840 admitted of 5,733 ED applicants source
International	Fall 2025 (Class of 2029)	2.6%	407 admitted of 15,380 source
International	Fall 2024 (Class of 2028)	2.5%	359 admitted of 14,593 source
International	Fall 2023 (Class of 2027)	2.6%	337 admitted of 13,025 source
Transfer	Fall 2025	9.2%	453 admitted of 4,909, including the 3-2 Combined Plan in engineering (137 of 208) source
Transfer	Fall 2024	9.0%	375 admitted of 4,180 source
Transfer	Fall 2023	10.1%	329 admitted of 3,254 source

What the numbers mean

Columbia received a record 61,031 applications for the Class of 2030 and admitted 2,585, or 4.2%. Its March 2026 announcement gave 2,581 admits; the class profile published in September is the later count. The rate has moved between 3.9% and 4.9% over the last four classes.

Early Decision is binding, and it is where Columbia's published rate is highest. For fall 2025 Columbia admitted 819 of 5,868 ED applicants (14.0%), almost three times the overall rate, and ED admits were more than a quarter of all admits. The figure was 13.2% for fall 2024 and 14.7% for fall 2023. For the Class of 2030 Columbia reports 5,497 ED applications but not how many were admitted, so there is no official ED rate for that class yet. The early pool is self-selected, so the gap is not a pure boost from applying early.

International applicants were admitted at about 2.5% to 2.6% in each of the last three published years (407 of 15,380 for fall 2025), roughly half the overall rate. International students make up 17% of the Class of 2030. Columbia was test-optional for the Class of 2030 and remains so for the Class of 2031.

The figures above cover Columbia College and Columbia Engineering only. Columbia's School of General Studies publishes its own Common Data Set, and graduate programs admit separately.

Columbia University TOEFL and IELTS requirements

Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.

Undergraduate (university-wide)

TOEFL iBT: 5.5 overall (1–6 scale)

Columbia College requires a minimum TOEFL of 5.5 overall on the 2026 scale with a minimum of 5.0 in each section. This is a hard minimum, not a recommendation.

Official page · checked 22 March 2026

Master's (university-wide)

TOEFL iBT: 5.5 overall (1–6 scale)

Applies to tests taken on or after January 21, 2026. For tests taken before that date the legacy minimum was 100 (0-120 scale). IELTS alternative minimum is 7.0.

Official page · checked 19 March 2026

Master's · MA Education (Teachers College)

TOEFL iBT: 5 overall (1–6 scale)

Teachers College requires 5.0 overall (legacy: 100), which is lower than the GSAS standard of 5.5. This also applies to other Teachers College programmes including Ed.M and Ed.D.

Official page · checked 21 March 2026

Check your score against Columbia University

Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.

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FAQ

What is Columbia's acceptance rate?

Columbia admitted 2,585 of 61,031 first-year applicants to the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026, an acceptance rate of 4.2%. For fall 2025 its Common Data Set reports 2,946 admits from 59,611 applicants (4.9%).

What is Columbia's early decision acceptance rate?

The newest official figure is for fall 2025 (Class of 2029): Columbia admitted 819 of 5,868 Early Decision applicants, an ED acceptance rate of 14.0%. It was 13.2% for fall 2024 and 14.7% for fall 2023. For the Class of 2030 Columbia has published the number of ED applications (5,497) but not ED admits.

What is Columbia's acceptance rate for international students?

Columbia admitted 407 of 15,380 international applicants for fall 2025, a rate of 2.6%, compared with 4.9% overall. The rate was 2.5% for fall 2024 and 2.6% for fall 2023.

What is Columbia's transfer acceptance rate?

Columbia College and Columbia Engineering admitted 453 of 4,909 transfer applicants for fall 2025 (9.2%), a count that includes the 3-2 Combined Plan engineering program. The rate was 9.0% for fall 2024 and 10.1% for fall 2023.

What is the acceptance rate for Columbia's MS in Data Science?

Columbia does not publish an acceptance rate for the MS in Data Science, which is offered with the Data Science Institute. The Data Science Institute's admissions page lists the program's requirements and deadlines; graduate English requirements are set by the admitting school, so check the program page for its TOEFL or IELTS minimum.

What TOEFL score does Columbia require?

For undergraduate admission Columbia requires a TOEFL iBT of 5.5 overall on the 2026 1–6 scale, with at least 5.0 in each section. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences also asks for 5.5 (100 on the older 0–120 scale; IELTS 7.0), and Teachers College asks for 5.0.