These figures are the basis for determining financial aid eligibility, although individual student expenses may vary.
First-year and incoming transfer/combined plan students are also charged one-time transcript and orientation fees totaling $521.
Outside Scholarships and Student Self-Help
Self-help is the standard amount we expect students to earn and contribute to their own educational expenses each year.
For 2014-2015, we expect first-year students to contribute $2,400 from summer work and $3,090 from academic year work.
Students who are awarded outside scholarships may use those resources to replace both the summer and academic year self-help expectations each year.
Financial Aid Statistics
Columbia awards more than $122 million annually in scholarships and grants from all sources.
About 50% of Columbia students receive grants from Columbia and the average amount awarded in 2013-2014 was $42,238.
The median income of families receiving Columbia Grant in 2013-2014 was $98,814, but many families who earn as much as $200,000 a year can qualify for financial aid.
16% of Columbia’s undergraduates receive the Pell Grant, a Federal grant reserved for low-income undergraduate students; this is one of the highest representations of high-need undergraduate students among all colleges.