How to Apply

Log in or create an account to start or complete your online application.

Fee is paid by credit card in order to submit the online application.

In the Academic History section of the online application, you must list and upload unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended for at least one term. This includes all graded coursework, in progress coursework, summer program(s), study abroad program(s), or transfer coursework unless:

• You did not earn academic credits; 
• You completed less than 11 credits (on a traditional US credit scale) outside of your home institution. If you completed more than 11 credits outside of your home institution, then you must provide us with unofficial transcripts/ the coursework must be included on your WES evaluation.

If requested, you may be required to provide transcripts or mark sheets from any and all post-secondary institutions.

Applicants who attended a U.S. institution must submit:

• Unofficial transcripts for each institution attended. 

Note: Unofficial transcripts must include your name, the name of the institution, each of the terms attended, the courses you took and the grades you obtained. 

Applicants who attended an international institution must submit:

• An official ICAP course-by-course evaluation* by World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third-party verification agency, that includes all post-secondary coursework completed outside of the United States. This is required for your application to be reviewed. The evaluation may take several weeks to be completed and sent to SPS. You should start your evaluation as soon as possible after you begin your application.

Applications will not be reviewed until we have received all of your transcripts and/or WES evaluations.

* Please note that if you completed 30 credits or less abroad, instead of submitting a WES evaluation, you may submit an unofficial transcript for admissions consideration. If admitted, you must order an official transcript to be sent to SPS directly from the institution abroad. 

Be sure to write a statement that responds to the specific prompt provided by your program.

Essay requirements vary by master's program. Please be sure to carefully review the table below for program-specific requirements.

Important Policies Related to Recommendations:

• Under no circumstances should you upload a recommendation on behalf of a recommender. Any person who writes a recommendation must submit that recommendation themselves through the application system. Any violation of this guideline may lead to the application being ineligible for review.
• All recommendations must be uploaded by the recommender directly to the application system. Recommendations may not be sent via email, nor may paper recommendations be sent via postal mail.

Two recommendations are required as part of your application. Recommendations should be submitted from academic and/or professional sources. Please note:

• Certification of Professional Achievement Applicants: This requirement does not apply to the following CPA programs: Bioethics CPA, Narrative Medicine CPA.

• If you are in your last year of undergraduate study at the time of applying, you are required to submit at least one academic recommendation from a faculty member at your undergraduate institution. The second recommendation may be academic or professional;

• If you received a bachelor’s degree within 2 years of the date of the application, you are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit an academic recommendation;

• If you received a bachelor’s degree more than 2 years prior to the date of the application, you are not required to submit an academic recommendation.

Recommendations should be submitted by:

• a faculty member with whom you have studied at your undergraduate degree-conferring institution who can assess your academic work, intellectual ability, academic potential for graduate work. The recommender should have instructed you directly, academic advisors are not appropriate.

AND/OR

• a current or former supervisor (preferred) or work associate/project leader who can attest to your professional abilities. If you manage your own business and are your own supervisor, you may select a client as your recommender. Personal references are not appropriate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All recommendations must be submitted using a professional or academic email domain. References submitted from personal or anonymous email domains (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, 123.com, 163.com, qq.com etc.) may result in your application being considered ineligible for admission. If you are unable to provide a professional email address for your recommender, please email us at apply [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (apply[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu) with an explanation of why a professional email address cannot be provided. 
 

Include any professional experience or skills related to your program of interest.

For Spring 2025: 

After you have submitted your application and fee, you will be required to submit a one-minute video essay answering a randomized prompt. 

• Certification of Professional Achievement Applicants: This requirement does not apply to the Narrative Medicine CPA program.

For Fall 2025: 

You will be required to submit a one-minute video essay answering a randomized prompt prior to submitting your application. 

• Certification of Professional Achievement Applicants: This requirement does not apply to the Narrative Medicine CPA program.

Applicants to the Bioethics program are required to submit scores to the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Law School Admission Test (LSAT), or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to be reviewed. Official scores must be submitted for review.

If you are applying to any other program, you may still choose to submit scores to the GRE, GMAT, LSAT or MCAT for consideration.

• GRE school report code is 3602
• For GMAT scores: select Columbia SPS as recipient
• Official MCAT scores can be sent to transcripts [at] sps [dot] columbia [dot] edu (transcripts[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu)
• Official LCAT scores can be sent to transcripts [at] sps [dot] columbia [dot] edu (transcripts[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu)

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

• the language of instruction of your undergraduate degree conferring institution is English, and
• you completed your entire undergraduate degree in English.

*Your first and native language is the language that you learned first or speak best.

Please note: Applicants required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT) or 7.0 (IELTS Academic) to be admissible. 

TOEFL/IELTS scores are required if English is not your native language and you are applying to the following programs: 
 

Sports Management Program - applicants must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT) or 7.0 (IELTS Academic) to be admissible
 

Strategic Communication Program - must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT) or 7.0 (IELTS Academic) to be admissible AND must achieve minimum sub-scores of 24 points on the writing and 23 points on the speaking sections of the TOEFL exam or 6.5 points on the writing and 7.0 points on the speaking sections of the IELTS. 

• TOEFL school report code is 2594
• IELTS TRF should be included within  the English Language Requirement section of your application or sent from the test center

An additional admissions interview may be required.

1. Visa Requirements (On-Campus Study): International students are responsible for ensuring they have read and understood the University’s student visa application eligibility and requirements. Please note that it is not permissible to enroll while in B-1/B-2 status. International students enrolled in a full-time course load—registered for at least 12 points of credit-bearing courses a term—are eligible for a student visa.
2. International Transcript Evaluation Through WES: If you attended an institution outside the United States, you must submit all of your transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) to World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third-party verification agency for a course-by-course evaluation for admission consideration.