Columbia University: Class of 2025 Profile

In a year when acceptance rates hit record-lows at many top universities in the US (including all eight Ivies), Columbia University was no exception: for the Class of 2025, its acceptance rate dove to just 3.66%, making it one of the only three universities in the country to report an acceptance rate lower than 4%.

It’s safe to say that this year’s college admissions cycle will go down in history as the most competitive to date. After hundreds of US colleges made SAT and ACT scores optional to provide more leniency amid COVID-19 restrictions, many leading universities reported record-high application numbers, resulting in record-low acceptance rates. In a series of blogs over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing information about the makeup of the Classes of 2025 admitted to top US universities to shed light on the demographics of the lucky few students who got accepted.

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That’s not the only record Columbia set for itself this year. All of the Ivies saw drastic increases in their application numbers for the Class of 2025, but Columbia’s was highest at 51% more applicants compared to the previous year! The university received 60,548 applications in the most recent admissions cycle and accepted 2,218 students to the Class of 2025.

Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, commended applicants in a statement celebrating the accepted students and

the incredible promise of their futures [as] we stand in great admiration for all that they have achieved despite the significant challenges of the past year.

Geographic Representation

Columbia has one of the highest country counts of any top university, with 100 different countries represented amongst the batch of admitted students. Last year, students from 70 countries matriculated for the Class of 2024, with 12% of students coming from outside the US — with China, Brazil and the UK among the most-represented countries..

Domestically, students from all 50 US states were admitted to the Class of 2024 (which has become standard at most top US unis), with its home state of New York supplying the most applicants.

Socioeconomic Distribution

Stats on the socioeconomic distribution of Columbia’s Class of 2025 won’t likely be released until the fall, when the university typically shares its own profile for the incoming class of enrolled students (which is, of course, a much smaller pool than the pool of accepted students).

However, if the same trends we’ve seen from other universities also apply to Columbia’s admissions stats, there may be a slight increase in the number of admits from lower-income families as the university’s test-optional policy for the Class of 2025 may have drawn more applicants from less privileged backgrounds.

It’s also worth noting that Columbia has a need-blind admissions policy for domestic students, meaning that an applicant’s financial situation is not taken into account when applying. The university also meets 100% of demonstrated need for applicants, which likely allows for a more diverse — both economically and culturally — student body.

Legacy and Ethnicity

Once again, legacy and ethnicity data for Columbia’s Class of 2025 has not yet been officially released. However, for the Class of 2024, people who self-identified as White made up 52% of admitted students, with Asian American or Pacific Islanders completing 32% of the class. 20% were Hispanic, 15% were African American, and 3% were Native American.

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