Admissions
Qualifications
- U.S. bachelor’s degree or international equivalent.
If your post-secondary credentials are from an institution outside the United States, the Office of Admissions requires you to submit all post-secondary credentials (undergraduate and graduate) to World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third-party verification agency for a course-by-course evaluation for admission consideration. The Office of Admissions will use the credential evaluation provided by WES to determine if your undergraduate degree is the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree. - Students must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English.
Please review the English language proficiency details under the Application Requirements section to determine if proof of English language proficiency is required. Applicants who are required to provide test scores must submit a current TOEFL iBT or IELTS score report and have a minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL iBT or receive a 7.0 or higher on the IELTS. If you have TOEFL paper scores, please contact apply [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] educlass="spamspan mailto" to discuss their use. - Demonstrated ability for critical thinking and analysis.
As admissions to our programs are highly competitive, you are strongly encouraged to submit your application as early as possible to ensure it is reviewed before the program has reached capacity.
Application decisions are delivered on a rolling basis, typically 6-8 weeks after an application is submitted with all materials.
Please read through the admissions policies and application requirements carefully.
Category | Details | Deadline |
---|---|---|
All Applicants | Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. |
Final Deadline: November 1 |
Applicants With International Documents | Students who require an F-1 visa or who have international transcripts are encouraged to apply by the recommended date. This date is suggested to ensure you have enough time for student visa processing. You may refer to this website to review the current visa appointment wait times. |
Suggested Application Deadline: October 2 |
Admit Date | Amount Due | Date Due |
---|---|---|
If admitted by July 31 | $2000 |
September 1 |
If admitted between August 1‑September 15 | $2000 |
October 13 |
If admitted between September 16‑October 31 | $2000 |
December 1 |
If admitted between November 1‑November 27 | $2000 |
2 weeks from letter date |
If admitted after November 28 | $2000 |
1 week from letter date |
Category | Details | Deadline |
---|---|---|
All Applicants | Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. |
Priority Deadline: January 15 Final Deadline: May 1 |
Applicants With International Documents | Students who require an F-1 visa or who have international transcripts are encouraged to apply by the recommended date. This date is suggested to ensure you have enough time for student visa processing. You may refer to this website to review the current visa appointment wait times. |
Suggested Application Deadline: March 15 |
Admit Date | First deposit due | Second deposit due |
---|---|---|
If admitted by December 15 | $2000 by January 15 |
$1000 by June 1 |
If admitted between December 16‑February 15 | $2000 by March 15 |
$1000 by June 1 |
If admitted between February 16‑April 12 | $2000 by May 15 |
$1000 by June 1 |
If admitted between April 13‑May 24 | $3000 by May 31 |
N/A |
If admitted on or after May 25 | $3000 1 week from letter date |
N/A |
Application Process
Review the Application Process in our Master's Degree Applicants section.
Application Requirements
Credentials Verification
Columbia University requires all incoming students to complete a credentials verification process before enrollment. The process includes verification of letters of reference and of all post-secondary transcripts and degrees awarded. Upon submission of the application, applicants must provide written consent to participate in the verification of all academic, professional, and reference information provided during the application process.
The School of Professional Studies has contracted with Re Vera Services to assist with the verification of letters of recommendation. If letters of recommendation are provided, recommenders will be contacted by a Re Vera representative to confirm authorship of submitted letters. The recommendation verification is conducted concurrently while the application is being reviewed for admission. Admissions decisions will only be released to applicants who have uploaded their consent form within the online application system.
Admitted students must submit final, official transcripts of all academic studies and proof of award of all degrees earned prior to enrollment in the School of Professional Studies.
Detailed information about each part of the credentials verification process appears below.
Policies
Admitted Students
Visit our Admitted Students section to learn important instructions, including Enrollment Next Steps and Housing and University Resources.
If you have any questions, please contact your admissions counselor.
Apply
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
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