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. 

Documents required at the time of application:

In the Academic History section of the online application, applicants must list and upload unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions you have attended full-time for at least one term. This includes any summer program(s), study abroad program(s), or transfer coursework including any additional mark sheets, official translations, or degree certificates for international transcripts as needed with the exception of: 

• Coursework where no credits are earned, 
• Institutions where you completed a total of 11 credits or less (on a traditional U.S. credit system) outside of your degree granting institution and those credits appear on your degree granting institution transcript.

If requested, applicants may be required to provide transcripts from any and all post-secondary institutions. 

Note: Unofficial transcripts must include both the name of the student and the institution to be used for application review.

International coursework

Before your application can be considered complete and ready for evaluation you must submit official transcripts from your current undergraduate institution. 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. 

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. 

All applicants must submit certified and secure electronic transcripts directly from their current undergraduate institution or via the vendor that provides that service for their institution to 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 to provide us with the link to your institution’s webpage regarding transcript orders. After verification, we will respond with further instructions.

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)

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 current undergraduate institution or via the vendor that provides that service for their institution to 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 to provide us with the link to your institution’s webpage regarding transcript orders. After verification, we will respond with further instructions.

International coursework

Applicants must submit an official transcript from their current undergraduate institution for use in review of their application.

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.

$80.00 non-refundable application fee (U.S. currency). Fee payment must accompany the online application.

The statement of academic purpose should address the following:

• The subjects and course topics you intend to study

• 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

• How the program fits into your overall academic and/or professional goals

• 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 your résumé to support your candidacy, you may submit a résumé.

If your primary language is not English, you must provide official scores on the TOEFL, IELTS Academic, or DET unless both of the following are true:

• the language of instruction of your undergraduate degree conferring institution is English, and
• you completed two or more years at the institution.

Applicant total scores must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT) 7.0 (IELTS Academic) or 120 (DET Duolingo English Test) to be admissible. 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 Academic, and DET 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. 

• To submit TOEFL iBT scores: Visit www.ets.org and send your official score to our school code 2594. Please note: we do not accept TOEFL best scores.
• To submit IELTS Academic scores: After you have submitted your application, please upload your unofficial IELTS Academic score report. Alternatively, you can also send us your official score through your testing center.
• To submit DET scores: Visit https://englishtest.duolingo.com. Filter by “Graduate” and choose “Columbia University - School of Professional Studies” as the recipient.