Application Requirements
Select Non-Degree & Other Certificate Programs to access the application. Access your application on your select program's landing page.
You must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at apply [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (apply[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu).
$80.00 nonrefundable application fee (U.S. currency)
Fee payment must accompany the online application.
In the Academic History section of your online application, you must list all institutions attended for at least one term, regardless of the number of credits received. This includes individual courses for academic credit, certifications, certificates, transfer coursework, study abroad, second bachelor’s degrees, and advanced degrees.
Instructions for Submitting Transcripts When Applying
Applicants must upload an unofficial transcript from each institution attended for use in review of their application. Your unofficial transcript must include your full name, the institution name, all courses and grades earned at that institution. Falsification, forgery, and misrepresentation of any type will risk forfeiture of admissions and/or enrollment. Forfeiture may occur whenever an integrity lapse is discovered, and may include admissions revocation, expulsion, or another sanction outlined within the Student Conduct and Community Standards.
International coursework
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on institutions of higher education, adjustments to our WES requirements have been made. Applicants who attended an institution outside of the United States will not be required to submit official World Education Services (WES) course-by-course evaluations in order to be evaluated for admission.
Applicants must upload an unofficial transcript from each institution attended for use in review of your application, as well as any degree certificates. For Indian universities, this includes all semester mark sheets. If your university provides transcripts in a language other than English, both the original language document and English translation are required.
Instructions for using WES
If admitted, you will be required to provide official WES course-by-course evaluations (international coursework) for all post-secondary academic coursework and credentials. Applicants for the Spring 2021 semester must provide official WES course-by-course evaluations by no later than December 21, 2020. We recommend starting the WES course-by-course evaluation process as soon as possible so that you are able to meet this deadline. be required to submit official World Education Services (WES) course-by-course evaluations in order to be evaluated for admission.
Falsification, forgery, and misrepresentation of any type will risk forfeiture of admissions and/or enrollment. Forfeiture may occur whenever an integrity lapse is discovered, and may include admissions revocation, expulsion, or another sanction outlined within the Student Conduct and Community Standards. Applicants would not be entitled to request any refund of the application fee, enrollment deposit or tuition in the case that the official transcript deviates from the unofficial.
Instructions for Submitting Official Transcripts (Admitted Students Only)
If admitted, you will be required to provide official academic transcripts (domestic coursework) and/or WES course-by-course evaluations (international coursework) for all post-secondary academic coursework and credentials.
Domestic coursework
All students who have attended a college or university in the United States must submit certified and secure electronic transcripts directly from their school or via the vendor that provides that service for their institution to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (transcripts[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu).
If a school does not offer electronic delivery, you must write to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (transcripts[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu) to provide us with the link to your institution’s webpage regarding transcript orders. After verification, we will respond with further instructions.
International coursework
If any of your post-secondary coursework is from an institution outside of the United States, and you have completed additional international coursework since the initial WES evaluation was provided, you must request an updated report and have WES send your updated course-by-course evaluation electronically to Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.
If admitted, you will be required to provide official WES course-by-course evaluations (international coursework) for all post-secondary academic coursework and credentials. Applicants for the Spring 2021 semester must provide official WES course-by-course evaluations by no later than December 21, 2020. We recommend starting the WES course-by-course evaluation process as soon as possible so that you are able to meet this deadline.
Falsification, forgery, and misrepresentation of any type will risk forfeiture of admissions and/or enrollment. Forfeiture may occur whenever an integrity lapse is discovered, and may include admissions revocation, expulsion, or another sanction outlined within the Student Conduct and Community Standards. Applicants would not be entitled to request any refund of the application fee, enrollment deposit or tuition in the case that the official transcript deviates from the unofficial.
When you submit a completed WES course-by-course evaluation for an international institution, we will review and verify its contents. If the WES evaluation meets our requirements, we will not require a separate official transcript from that school.
If the WES requirement is permanently waived for your study abroad and an official transcript is required, it must be sent to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (transcripts[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu) directly from the international school and the translation agency (if the original transcript is in foreign language) and not from the applicant. If a paper transcript is the only option, you must request that the institution mail the official transcript, in a sealed envelope, directly to the following address:
Office of Admissions
School of Professional Studies
203 Lewisohn Hall
2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4119
New York, NY 10027-6902
Please note: The School of Professional Studies will not accept as official any transcript submitted directly by an applicant, either in person, via email or by mail.
The statement of academic purpose should address your purpose and interest in pursuing the program, how the program fits into your overall academic and/or professional goals, focusing in particular on the connection between the program and your academic and/or professional experience.
Some applicants use their statements as an opportunity to amplify information contained on the application or academic transcripts. The statement provides an excellent forum for explaining any weaknesses that may appear on the transcript or to highlight any strengths that may not be evident elsewhere.
This information is not required. However, if you feel it important to provide a letter of recommendation to support your candidacy, you may submit a letter.
Applicants must list recommenders and their contact information within the online application. Please provide your recommender’s professional email address and note that your recommender will receive an email requesting the recommendation upon your completion of the recommendation section of the application. Your recommender will be asked to log into the online application system, answer a few questions, and upload a letter of recommendation typed on professional letterhead. Recommendations must be submitted within the online application system. We strongly suggest notifying your recommender of these requirements prior to entering their information into the application system. You have the ability within the application system to re-notify your recommender of the request, and change your recommender if necessary. Apart from the initial notification sent through the application system, applicants are responsible for notifying and reminding the recommender about the request.
This information is not required. However, if you feel it important to provide your résumé to support your candidacy, you may submit a résumé.
English Language Proficiency
Applicants must have a TOEFL iBT score between 85 and 99, a minimum SPS/ALP level of 7, or a minimum IELTS Academic score of 6.5.
People admitted to study at Columbia University who are not United States citizens or permanent residents must be a full-time student at Columbia - registered for at least 12 points of credit-bearing courses during one term - in order to be eligible for a student (F-1) visa.
Eligible international students who wish to apply for an F-1 visa should do so immediately after they have received their letter of admission to the School of Professional Studies by contacting the International Students and Scholars Office at Columbia (below) at least three months before the first day of class. Students will then be sent information about obtaining an F-1 visa. Once in the United States in F-1 status, students must register for at least 12 points of credit-bearing courses, during the registration period, and remain so registered throughout the course of the session. If a student neglects to do this, or if a student falls below the 12-point minimum during the course of a session, the student will be reported in violation of F-1 regulations to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Visitors to the United States in B-1, B-2, WB or WT status are not allowed to enroll in classes at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies.
International students who require a student (F-1) visa to study at Columbia are required to pay an International Services fee.
You can find the online application for visa certificate by clicking here: http://isso.columbia.edu/. While you are not permitted to submit the application until you have gained admission, we strongly encourage you to read the instructional information provided.
For questions about individual cases please contact:
International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO)
212-854-3587
isso [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (isso[at]columbia[dot]edu)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso