FAQs: Prospective Students
All financial aid administered by our office is need-based. There are no academic, athletic or talent-based institutional scholarships awarded to students at Columbia College and the undergraduate division of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Students are welcome to pursue outside scholarship opportunities independently.
For all applicants who are US Citizens, Eligible Noncitizens or students living in the US without legal citizenship or residency, the admissions process is need-blind, meaning that applying for financial aid will have no bearing on the admission decision.
International students are evaluated in a need-aware process, meaning that among the many criteria taken into consideration in rendering an admissions decision, the student’s status as a financial aid applicant is also considered.
Yes. Columbia meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for international students admitted as first-years and transfers pursuing their first degree. Please be aware that Columbia is need-aware in its admission of international students. International applicants must apply for and demonstrate financial need at the time of admission. If you plan on applying for financial at any point during your four years of study then you must indicate that you are a financial aid applicant on your admissions application. If you do not, you will not be eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during your enrollment unless your citizenship status changes.
Financial aid for transfer students is need-based, and determined based on a financial aid analysis, in the same manner as for incoming first-year students. We guarantee to meet full demonstrated financial need for transfer students pursuing their first degree.
Approximately 50% of undergraduate students in Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences receive financial aid.
Financial aid is awarded to students and families of many income levels; however we do have specific financial aid initiatives designed to make Columbia accessible to students from low-income households.
Because our financial aid program is need based, we determine financial aid eligibility by evaluating each family’s ability to pay for education costs. Our office conducts a thorough review of each applicant’s financial information every year, and we take many factors into consideration during our analysis. Review our Determining Eligibility page for more information about the factors we consider.
We calculate a family’s total income by adding all sources of income, including any untaxed income (e.g., tax-deferred pension contributions, social security benefits, child support received, tax exempt interest). In cases of divorced or separated families, the incomes from both parents are considered to determine the total family income.
Parents’ assets include cash, savings, investments, home equity, other real estate equity, and business equity. We do not include the value of retirement assets in our analysis. We do provide enhanced financial aid eligibility for low-income families with typical assets. For families with an income up to $100,000, we consider typical assets to be approximately up to $250,000.
U.S. citizens, eligible noncitizens and students residing in the United States without legal citizenship or residency – You may apply for financial aid in future years. This request must come in writing from the student directly.
International students – You must have indicated that you were a financial aid applicant at the time of your admission application and qualified for need-based aid. If you did not, you will not be eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during your enrollment unless your citizenship status changes.
The CSS Profile provides fee waivers to qualifying domestic students who are first-time, first-year, low-income applicants. Eligibility for fee waivers is automatically assessed at the time you complete the CSS Profile. Eligible applicants may apply to an unlimited number of schools free of charge. Columbia does not offer additional fee waivers to domestic students.
Low-income International students wishing to request a CSS Profile fee waiver should contact ugrad-finaid@columbia.edu.
You can make online corrections to your information via the link on your CSS Profile dashboard.
You can submit a request to have your financial aid award reconsidered for one of the following reasons:
- Your family’s financial circumstances have changed since you originally submitted the financial aid application.
- Your family’s financial circumstances are complex in nature, and you would like us to re-review the file with new information or clarification not previously submitted.
As appeals vary, and can be sensitive in nature, we recommend that you contact our office and speak with a financial aid officer prior to submitting a request. All requests for reconsideration should be submitted via e-mail to ugrad-finaid@columbia.edu.
US Citizens and Eligible Noncitizens – You can apply for financial aid after the recommended deadline, and financial aid eligibility will not be impacted by the time of application. We do recommend that you file by the deadline to assure you receive a timely eligibility letter.
International- You MUST have indicated that you were a financial aid applicant at the time of the admission application and qualified for need-based aid. If you did not, you will not be eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during your enrollment unless your citizenship status changes.
IDOC is the College Board’s document management system. Tax returns and other documents can be uploaded electronically or mailed to IDOC. Students completing the CSS Profile may be sent an e-mail with instructions on how to submit information.
Outside scholarships can be applied to replace, dollar for dollar, the Student Contribution (SC) and Work-Expectation components of the financial aid award. If the total amount of outside scholarship funds exceeds the SC and Work-Expectation, it will then begin reducing the Columbia grant. Outside scholarships will NOT reduce the Parent Contribution.
Additional information can be found on our outside scholarship page.
Yes. Columbia will need the student’s full legal name (as listed on the Social Security Card) and Social Security Number (SSN) in order to download the FAFSA. If the student’s legal name and SSN were not provided in their admission application, we will need a copy of the student’s Social Security Card to update our records. If you need to update the student’s SSN or legal name, please upload a copy of our offices' Social Security Update form , along with the student’s Social Security Card, to our Box upload portal.
All financial aid recipients are expected to contribute towards the Student Responsibility, which consists of the Student Contribution and Student Employment.
Most incoming First-Year students have a minimum Student Contribution of $2,400 as part of their financial aid award; a contribution from student assets may be included. The expectation is that the student will earn this amount in the summer preceding their first academic year. Alternatively, students and their families may cover this amount with outside scholarships, savings, parental assistance, and/or other financing options if they choose to.
Student Employment is also part of the financial aid award. Students earn this amount during the Fall and Spring semesters. These earnings are generally used to pay for non-billed expenses, such as books/supplies and other personal expenses. This expectation is also not required, and may be covered by outside scholarships, savings, parental assistance, and/or other financing options.
In future years, students who obtain unpaid summer or semester internships may apply for additional grant to cover these expectations through the Work Exemption Program.
Columbia's policy views financial aid as a partnership between the student, the biological or adoptive parents, and the school. While the application process has requirements for the student and both parents, we recognize that certain circumstances can prevent the completion of a financial aid application.
If you are not in contact with your noncustodial parent or have circumstances that would make obtaining the noncustodial information impossible, you can submit a petition to waive the noncustodial parent requirements. If you feel that you will be unable to complete this component of the financial aid application please complete the Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition and then upload the completed form to IDOC.
Our Net Price Calculator has been designed for families living in the US; therefore this calculator will not be able to provide an accurate estimate for students living abroad.