Application Requirements
Select Non-Degree & Other Certificate Programs within the online application system to access the application.
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.
You are required to disclose and provide unofficial academic transcripts for all post-secondary academic study completed and in progress. This includes individual courses for academic credit, certifications, certificates, transfer coursework, study abroad, and second bachelor’s degrees. All institutions attended must be listed in the Enrollment History section of the online application.
For Domestic Institutions
You are required to upload an unofficial copy of your academic transcript(s) from all post-secondary institutions attended within the application system. These documents may be used for admissions consideration. If offered admission, before being permitted to enroll, you must provide official transcripts from your current undergraduate institution. You must provide an electronic transcript directly from the institution to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu. If your prior institution does not offer electronic transcript transmission, you must write to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu with the link to your current U.S. institution’s webpage concerning transcript orders to confirm that paper is the only option and obtain permission to submit a paper transcript. If a paper transcript is the only option, it must be sent directly from the institution to Columbia, and not delivered or forwarded by you.
Please have the institution send the approved paper transcript to:
Office of Admissions - School of Professional Studies
2970 Broadway
203 Lewisohn Hall, Mail Code 4119
New York, NY 10027-6902
For International Institutions
You are required to upload an unofficial copy of your academic transcript(s) from all post-secondary institutions attended within the application system. Before your application can be considered complete and ready for evaluation you must submit official transcripts from your current undergraduate institution. You must submit an official translation of any foreign credentials that are not in English, including transcripts, along with the original documents. Admissions staff will carefully review these official translations for accuracy and authenticity, and investigate any credentials that seem suspect if a student is being considered for admission.
These materials must be sent to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu directly from the translation agency or the school and not from the applicant. If your prior institution does not offer electronic transcript transmission, you must write to transcripts [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu with the link to your prior institution’s webpage concerning transcript orders to confirm that paper is the only option and obtain permission to submit a paper transcript.
If a paper transcript is the only option, it must be sent directly from the institution to Columbia, and not delivered or forwarded by you. Please have the institution send the approved paper transcript to:
Office of Admissions - School of Professional Studies
2970 Broadway
203 Lewisohn Hall, Mail Code 4119
New York, NY 10027-6902
$80.00 nonrefundable application fee (U.S. currency)
Fee payment must accompany the online application.
The statement of academic purpose should address the following:
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The subjects and course topics to intend to study
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Why you feel you are prepared for rigorous academic study at Columbia – for this you may highlight prior coursework completed, work projects and/or your employment history
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How the program fits into your overall academic and/or professional goals
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An explanation for any weaknesses that may appear on your academic transcript or a highlight of any strengths that may not be evident elsewhere (as appropriate)
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.
To be considered for admission, students must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. If the language of instruction of your undergraduate degree conferring institution is English and you completed two or more years at the institution, you need not take further steps to prove fluency. However, if your undergraduate education is not conducted in English, or you completed fewer than two years at your degree conferring institution where English was the language of instruction, you must provide official scores on the TOEFL, IELTS, DET or PTE Academic.
Applicant total scores must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT), 7.0 (IELTS), 120 (DET Duolingo English Test) or 68 (Pearson Test of English). You will be required to enter your test scores or your anticipated testing date within the online application, and official test score reports will be required for your application to be considered complete and ready for admission review. TOEFL, IELTS, DET and PTE Academic scores are valid for two years after your test date. Applicants receiving scores below the posted minimums may be advised to apply directly to the American Language Program. (Use school code 2594 to report TOEFL scores.)
Applicants with TOEFL scores below this program’s requirement should consider applying to the Business Plus program, which has an English language requirement of TOEFL iBT score between 85 and 99, or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.