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College Ledger

Statement · New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York

Private nonprofit4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $4,570 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $89,472.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $102,491 ten years after entering, the 98th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years.

  3. 96% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1754
Enrollment, 2023
37,954
Website
columbia.edu
Motto
“In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen”
Campus of Columbia University in the City of New York

Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0

AboutPrivate university in New York City, New York, US. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a private Ivy League research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1754 as King's College by royal charter under George II of Great Britain on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States.

From the Wikipedia article “Columbia University”, revision 1364274834, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $89,472 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $2,275 and $50,621 a year depending on income at Columbia University in the City of New York.

Statement of cost · Columbia University in the City of New York

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$89,472
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$4,570
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$21,590
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$71,845

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $4,570; $30–48k: $2,275; $48–75k: $5,866; $75–110k: $11,782; over $110k: $50,621. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, from $17,360 to $28,210; dotted line at the median, $22,313.
  • Shaded: the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years (all incomes), $17,360 to $28,210. Dotted line: the median, $22,313.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$4,570
$30k–$48k$2,275
$48k–$75k$5,866
$75k–$110k$11,782
Over $110k$50,621

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $102,491; the median graduate who borrowed owes $21,500.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$88,535
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$98,435
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
98th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$102,491
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
28th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$21,500
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$18,750

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years: $43,845 to $62,830.

6 yrs after entry: $88,535; 8 yrs after entry: $98,435; 10 yrs after entry: $102,491. Median graduate debt: $21,500. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years, from $43,845 to $62,830; dotted line at the median, $52,889.
  • Shaded: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, 10 years out ($43,845 to $62,830); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $21,500.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$88,535
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$98,435
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$102,491
Median graduate debt$21,500

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Columbia University in the City of New York
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's Degree1,746$122,110not reported
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's Degree717$143,645not reported
Computer ScienceMaster's Degree595$256,430not reported
Social WorkMaster's Degree594$76,461not reported
StatisticsMaster's Degree493$165,479not reported
Public HealthMaster's Degree429$101,910not reported
LawFirst Professional Degree427$332,787not reported
Public AdministrationMaster's Degree409$112,361not reported
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree391$204,511$20,397
Operations ResearchMaster's Degree380$255,643not reported
EconomicsBachelor's Degree360$134,398$25,000
Public HealthGraduate/Professional Certificate345$95,295not reported
Show all 27 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's Degree323not reportednot reported
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's Degree317$156,758not reported
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree302$139,144not reported
Sustainability StudiesMaster's Degree271$107,142not reported
Architectural Sciences and TechnologyMaster's Degree249not reportednot reported
International Relations and National Security StudiesMaster's Degree245$103,308not reported
JournalismMaster's Degree240$76,810not reported
Data ScienceMaster's Degree240not reportednot reported
Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesGraduate/Professional Certificate25not reportednot reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree82$254,234not reported
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral SciencesGraduate/Professional Certificate41$118,133not reported
Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degree28not reportednot reported
Management Information Systems and ServicesMaster's Degreenot reported$169,317not reported
DentistryFirst Professional Degree98$147,168not reported
Operations ResearchBachelor's Degree50$199,865not reported

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Columbia University in the City of New York: 8,973 undergraduates; 23% of students receive Pell grants; 4% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

4%

1st percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Undergraduates

8,973

98th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Pell share

23%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

25th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Completion

96%

finish within 150% of normal time

98th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

First-generation

25%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$31,311

29th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k34%
  • $30k–$48k15%
  • $48k–$75k12%
  • $75k–$110k11%
  • Over $110k28%
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k34%
$30k–$48k15%
$48k–$75k12%
$75k–$110k11%
Over $110k28%

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 15,170 people who studied at Columbia University in the City of New York, most often in science & academia (44%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 44% (7,086 people); medicine 2.1% (348 people); law 4.1% (660 people); politics & gov 6.6% (1,068 people); business 3.7% (591 people); engineering & tech 2.4% (381 people); writing & journalism 17% (2,825 people); film & stage 5.2% (847 people); music 3.2% (520 people); visual arts 4.8% (775 people); sports 4.2% (672 people); religion 1.2% (198 people); military 1.1% (181 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia7,08643.9%
medicine3482.1%
law6604.1%
politics & gov1,0686.6%
business5913.7%
engineering & tech3812.4%
writing & journalism2,82517.5%
film & stage8475.2%
music5203.2%
visual arts7754.8%
sports6724.2%
religion1981.2%
military1811.1%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (2,270) · university teacher (2,223) · writer (1,618) · journalist (895) · politician (832) · historian (781) · lawyer (546) · basketball player (477)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 3% for the 1830s to 42% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn, and 11 decades are marked not reported for women. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1730snot reported3not reported
1740snot reported11not reported
1750snot reported13not reported
1760snot reported8not reported
1770snot reported25not reported
1780snot reported18not reported
1790snot reported24not reported
1800snot reported26not reported
1810snot reported27not reported
1820snot reported28not reported
1830s1333%
1840snot reported43not reported
1850s8799%
1860s2714815%
1870s8728523%
1880s12232627%
1890s20647830%
1900s21461026%
1910s16662921%
1920s24797520%
1930s21481821%
1940s29585026%
1950s24662828%
1960s25548934%
1970s26931946%
1980s19219450%
1990s499933%
2000s425942%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 236,885 in 2024-04.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0661,890
2026-0568,736
2026-0466,416
2026-0369,975
2026-0263,494
2026-0177,546
2025-1275,237
2025-1185,063
2025-1076,964
2025-0976,442
2025-0878,922
2025-0777,500
2025-0681,610
2025-0593,242
2025-0499,424
2025-03162,331
2025-0277,299
2025-0194,113
2024-1291,895
2024-1191,999
2024-1087,014
2024-0984,840
2024-0889,015
2024-0779,289
2024-0678,816
2024-05172,322
2024-04236,885
2024-03110,169
2024-0297,498
2024-01119,247
2023-12112,796
2023-11102,898
2023-10102,972
2023-09108,107
2023-08120,004
2023-07118,950
2023-06118,978
2023-05116,896
2023-04128,904
2023-03135,941
2023-02107,099
2023-01119,555
2022-12114,355
2022-11111,037
2022-10116,383
2022-09113,209
2022-08123,701
2022-07111,615
2022-06104,272
2022-05118,611
2022-04114,537
2022-03109,430
2022-02102,717
2022-01123,095
2021-12117,507
2021-11115,924
2021-10120,580
2021-09115,926
2021-08130,101
2021-07117,047
2021-0685,732
2021-0597,686
2021-0499,357
2021-03101,482
2021-0290,793
2021-01116,615
2020-12123,482
2020-11132,202
2020-10113,055
2020-09106,756
2020-0898,478
2020-07120,383
2020-06104,830
2020-05132,295
2020-04141,012
2020-03118,103
2020-02101,247
2020-01113,001
2019-12117,118
2019-11110,180
2019-10111,656
2019-09105,599
2019-08104,855
2019-0798,347
2019-0691,423
2019-05107,691
2019-04105,613
2019-03125,792
2019-02106,416
2019-01137,934
2018-12147,772
2018-11112,249
2018-10112,190
2018-09113,812
2018-08101,374
2018-0791,747
2018-0685,024
2018-0599,879
2018-04102,388
2018-03111,756
2018-0285,565
2018-01104,791
2017-1297,994
2017-11102,129
2017-10105,751
2017-0992,896
2017-0895,934
2017-0789,754
2017-0686,010
2017-0599,966
2017-04107,899
2017-03110,329
2017-02103,062
2017-01121,241
2016-12114,473
2016-11108,307
2016-1099,707
2016-0993,315
2016-0888,077
2016-0789,812
2016-0686,979
2016-05107,984
2016-04103,578
2016-03106,578
2016-0294,401
2016-0199,094
2015-1296,488
2015-1197,147
2015-1099,055
2015-0990,717
2015-0887,688
2015-0784,272

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Theodore Roosevelt Peace 1906
  • Elihu Root Peace 1912
  • Robert Andrews Millikan Physics 1923
  • Nicholas Murray Butler Peace 1931
  • Thomas Hunt Morgan Medicine 1933
  • Harold Urey Chemistry 1934
Show all 56
  • Isidor Isaac Rabi Physics 1944
  • Hermann Joseph Muller Medicine 1946
  • John Howard Northrop Chemistry 1946
  • Edward Calvin Kendall Medicine 1950
  • Philip Showalter Hench Medicine 1950
  • André Frédéric Cournand Medicine 1956
  • Dickinson W. Richards Medicine 1956
  • Joshua Lederberg Medicine 1958
  • Konrad Emil Bloch Medicine 1964
  • Julian Seymour Schwinger Physics 1965
  • George Wald Medicine 1967
  • Salvador Luria Medicine 1969
  • Simon Kuznets Economics 1971
  • Kenneth Arrow Economics 1972
  • Leon Cooper Physics 1972
  • William Howard Stein Chemistry 1972
  • Konrad Lorenz Medicine 1973
  • Aage Bohr Physics 1975
  • James Rainwater Physics 1975
  • Baruch Samuel Blumberg Medicine 1976
  • Samuel C. C. Ting Physics 1976
  • Milton Friedman Economics 1976
  • Arno Allan Penzias Physics 1978
  • Steven Weinberg Physics 1979
  • Val Logsdon Fitch Physics 1980
  • Baruj Benacerraf Medicine 1980
  • Roald Hoffmann Chemistry 1981
  • Carlo Rubbia Physics 1984
  • Herbert A. Hauptman Chemistry 1985
  • Melvin Schwartz Physics 1988
  • Leon M. Lederman Physics 1988
  • Sidney Altman Chemistry 1989
  • Harold E. Varmus Medicine 1989
  • Norman Foster Ramsey Physics 1989
  • Robert Fogel Economics 1993
  • Martin Lewis Perl Physics 1995
  • William Vickrey Economics 1996
  • José Ramos-Horta Peace 1996
  • Eric Kandel Medicine 2000
  • William Standish Knowles Chemistry 2001
  • Linda B. Buck Medicine 2004
  • Richard Axel Medicine 2004
  • Robert H. Grubbs Chemistry 2005
  • Martin Chalfie Chemistry 2008
  • name not resolved Peace 2009
  • Robert Lefkowitz Chemistry 2012
  • Arthur Ashkin Physics 2018
  • Louise Glück Literature 2020
  • John Clauser Physics 2022
  • Louis E. Brus Chemistry 2023

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 15 portraits

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1364274834), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.