This site uses various technologies, as described in our Privacy Policy, for personalization, measuring website use/performance, and targeted advertising, which may include storing and sharing information about your site visit with third parties. By continuing to use this website you consent to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
I understand
Menu Account
Call
Columbia University School of General Studies campus
Columbia University School of General Studies campus
Columbia University School of General Studies campus
Columbia University School of General Studies campus
Columbia University School of General Studies campus
Columbia University School of General Studies campus

Columbia University School of General Studies (GS)

Black Pinpoint 408 Lewisohn Hall, Mail Code 4101 2970 Broadway | New York, NY | 10027

01. Overview

From the School

Columbia University School of General Studies (GS), established in 1947, is the finest liberal arts college in the country dedicated specifically to nontraditional students seeking a traditional Ivy League education. Nontraditional students include those who have, for personal or professional reasons, interrupted their educations, never attended college, or are only able to attend part time.

GS is unique among colleges of its type because its students are fully integrated into the Columbia undergraduate curriculum—they take the same courses with the same faculty members and earn the same degree as all other undergraduates at the University. In the classroom, the diversity and varied personal experiences of the student body promote discussion and debate that is unparalleled in the Ivy League, fostering an environment of academic rigor and intellectual development.

In addition to its core undergraduate program, GS is home to the Columbia University Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program and International Dual Degree Programs with Sciences Po, Trinity College Dublin, Tel Aviv University, List College, and University of Hong Kong.

Check out our videos

Social Media

02. Rankings

Rankings and Lists

03. Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Admissions

From the School:

Applicants Icon
Applicants
504
Acceptance Icon
Acceptance Rate
30%

Deadlines

Early Action
March 1
Regular
May 15

GPA Breakdown

Need to boost your grades? We can help.

Learn More

SAT & ACT Test Scores

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

Calendar Icon
25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
703 - 750

SAT Math

Calendar Icon
25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
763 - 790

SAT Composite Scores

Calendar Icon
25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
1470 - 1495

ACT Composite Scores

Calendar Icon
25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
32 - 34

What would you score on the digital SAT today?

Testing Policies

Other Admission Factors Academic

Admission Factors Icon
Rigor of Secondary School Record
Admission Factors Icon
Academic GPA
Admission Factors Icon
Standardized Test Scores
Admission Factors Icon
Application Essay

Non-Academic

Interview Icon
Interview
Character / Personal Qualities Icon
Character / Personal Qualities
First Generation Icon
First Generation
Work Experience Icon
Work Experience
Level of applicant's interest Icon
Level of applicant's interest

Selectivity

Admissions selectivity rating
95/99

4. Cost, Tuition, Expenses

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$63,060
Tuition / Fees Vary by Year of Study
Yes
Board for Commuters
5580
Transportation for Commuters
$1,287
Approximate Expenses per year
$69,927

05. Academics

Student Faculty Icon
Student/Faculty
6 : 1
Acceptance Icon
Total Faculty
3,270
Terminal Degree Icon
Terminal Degree
2,489

Gender to Class Inforamtion

Men
1,942
Women
1,328
Minority
891
International
164

Class/Lab sizes

Most frequent class size
10-19
Most frequent lab/sub section size
10-19

Rating

Graduation Rates

Graduate in 4 years
72%
Graduate in 5 years
94%
Graduate in 6 years
97%

University Degrees

Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor's certificate

Prominent Alumni

Simon Kuznets

Nobel Prize-winning economist

Louis Simpson

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

Baruj Benacerraf

Nobel Prize-winning physician

R.W. Apple

Acclaimed journalist and author

Jacques Pepin

Emmy Award-winning chef and author

Kristi Zea

Academy Award-winning producer and set designer

Baruj Benacerraf

Nobel Prize-winning immunologist

06. Student Body

Gender

46% female54% male

Out of State

66% are out
of state34% are
in-state

Students

73% are
full time27% are
part time

Student Body Profile

Total Undergraduate Enrollment
2,234

Student Body Demographics

American Indian or Alaskan Native
0.09%
Asian
10.25%
Black
4.92%
Hispanic
11.24%
Caucasian
40.42%
Unknown
1.97%
International
26.86%

07. Mental Health

Wellness Program/Clinical Offerings

Institution has a mental health/wellness program that makes counseling, referral, and well-being services available to all students
Not Reported
Mental Health Website
Not Reported

Education & Training

Types of training available for students and faculty/staff
Program
Availability
Not Reported
Not Reported
Not Reported
Not Reported
Not Reported

Engaging the Whole Campus

Institution has a Chief Behavioral Health Officer (and/or Chief Wellness Officer)
Not Reported
Clinicians are trained to provide care to these specific groups:
Undergraduates
Graduate students
Racial/ethnic minority student
Students who are veterans
LGBTQIA+ students
Student-athletes
International students
Students on scholarship or financial aid
First-generation students

Peer-to-Peer

Institution has peer-to-peer offerings relating to mental health
Not Reported

Residential Life

Institution incorporates mental health and wellness into the residential experience
Not Reported

Student Orientation

Students who are provided an opportunity to participate in mental-health-orientation activities
First-year students
Not Reported
Incoming transfer students
else {
Not Reported
}
Returning students
Not Reported
Entering graduate students
Not Reported

Mental Health in the Curriculum

The institution offers for-credit mental health/well-being education for students
Not Reported
The institution offers non-credit mental health/well-being education for students
Not Reported

Off-Campus Offerings

Institution offers referrals to off-campus counseling services
Not Reported

Health and Counseling Center Accreditation

Institution's counseling center is accredited
Not Reported
Accrediting body
Not Reported

Taking and Returning from Medical Leave

Institution has an official support program in place for students returning from mental health leave of absence
Not Reported

Counseling Demand

Number of months a year counseling center is open and fully staffed
Not Reported

08. Campus Life

Fire safety rating
63%
Students
30%
First-Year Students
31%
Campus Environment
Large Urban
Help finding off-campus housing
Yes

Most Popular Places On Campus

Low Memorial Library

Butler Library

Alfred Lerner Hall

Lewisohn Hall

College Walk

Low Plaza, Northwest Corner Building, Dodge Gym, Miller Theatre

9. Campus Visits

Campus Visits Contact

Location Icon
408 Lewisohn Hall, Mail Code 4101 2970 Broadway New York, NY 10027
Email icon
gsdegree@columbia.edu
Phone icon
212-854-2772

Campus Tours

Campus Visiting Center

Monday - Friday

Calendar icon
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone icon
212-854-2772

Campus Tours

Appointment Required:
Yes
Dates:
Year-round
Times:
Varies
Average Length:
1 hour

Visits

CLASS VISITS

FACULTY AND COACH VISITS

 

On Campus Interview

Campus Interviews:
No
Information Sessions:
Not Available

Overnight Dorm Stays

Overnight Dorm Stays
Not Available

Campus Tours




Princeton Review Advice & Resources

11 Surprising Facts About College Admission | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
How To Compare Colleges and Find Your Target Schools | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
How to Find Your Best Fit College | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
How to Choose Dream, Target, and Safety Schools | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
College Admissions Guide: Process and Prep | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
Should You Apply Early Action vs Early Decision? | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
What is Rolling Admission? | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
What Looks Good on College Applications? | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
Popular Application Essay Topics | Apply | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
Crafting an Unforgettable College Essay | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
Calculate Your GPA With Our GPA Scale | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
How to Calculate Your SAT or ACT Superscore | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
ACT vs SAT Score Conversion Chart | 91³Ô¹Ï
Read More
Take a Free SAT Practice Test
Read More
Find Colleges Looking for Students Like You

10. Sports & Athletics

Icon

Athletic Division I

Men's Sports (Lions)

Icon
Basketball
Icon
Cross Country
Icon
Diving
Icon
Fencing
Icon
Football
Icon
Golf
Icon
Soccer
Icon
Swimming
Icon
Tennis
Icon
Track Field Indoor
Icon
Track Field Outdoor
Icon
Wrestling

Women's Sports (Lions)

Icon
Basketball
Icon
Cross Country
Icon
Diving
Icon
Fencing
Icon
Golf
Icon
Lacrosse
Icon
Soccer
Icon
Softball
Icon
Swimming
Icon
Tennis
Icon
Track Field Indoor
Icon
Track Field Outdoor
Icon
Volleyball

11. Housing & Activities

Hosting Features

Icon
Apartment Single
Icon
Cooperative
Icon
Disabled Student
Icon
Dorms Coed
Icon
Frat Sorority
Icon
International Student
Icon
Theme Housing

Special Needs Admissions

College Entrance Tests Required
No
Interview Required
No

Student Activities

Registered Student Organizations
500
Number of Religious Organizations
40

12. Student Services

Health
Womens Center

Military

Army ROTC Offered at cooperating institutions: Fordham University
Navy ROTC Offered on-campus
Air Force ROTC Offered at cooperating institutions: Manhattan College

CAMPUS SECURITY REPORT

The Jeanne Clery Act requires colleges and universities to disclose their security policies, keep a public crime log, publish an annual crime report and provide timely warnings to students and campus employees about a crime posing an immediate or ongoing threat to students and campus employees.

Please visit 91³Ô¹Ï's page on campus safety for additional resources:

Visit Page
Warning Icon

91³Ô¹Ï publishes links directly to each school's Campus Security Reports where available. Applicants can also access all school-specific campus safety information using the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool provided by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education:

Other Information

Campus-wide Internet Network
Checkmark icon
Fee for Network Use
X Mark icon
Partnerships with Technology Companies
X Mark icon
Personal computer included in tuition for each student
X Mark icon
Discounts Available with Hardware Vendors
Checkmark icon
Description Apple; Dell

13. Financial Aid

Dates

Icon
Application DeadlinesJun 1

Required Forms

FAFSA
Forms CSSProfile

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid
$39,465
Average Undergraduate Total Need-Based Gift Aid
$37,679
Average Need-Based Loan
$5,609
Undergraduates who have borrowed through any loan program
33%
Average amount of loan debt per graduate
$39,946
Financial aid provided to international students
Yes

Available Aid

Financial Aid Methodology
Scholarships and Grants

Need-Based Aid

01 - Need-Based College/University Scholarship or Grant Aid from Institutional Funds
02 - Need-Based Federal Pell
03 - Need-Based Private Scholarships
04 - Need-Based SEOG
05 - Need-Based State Scholarships

No-Need-Based

01 - Institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid is available

Federal Direct Student Loan Programs

01 - Direct PLUS Loans
02 - Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans
03 - Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Federal Family Education Loan Programs (FFEL):

01 - College/university loans from institutional funds

Students Also View These Schools

Boston College
Boston University
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Harvard College
New York University
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Smith College
Stanford University
The University of Chicago
Tufts University
University of California—Berkeley
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University

14. Career Services & Jobs

Graduation Rates

Graduate in 4 years
72%
Graduate in 5 years
94%
Graduate in 6 years
97%

Career Services

01 - Alumni Network
02 - Alumni Services
03 - Classes
04 - Interest Inventory
05 - Internships
06 - Regional Alumni

Opportunities at School

01 - Internship

ROI & Outcomes Information from PayScale

15. Majors

Down Arrow Icon

01 AREA, ETHNIC, CULTURAL, GENDER, AND GROUP STUDIES.
  • African Studies.
  • African-American/Black Studies.
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization.
  • Area Studies.
  • Asian Studies/Civilization.
  • Asian-American Studies.
  • Chinese Studies.
  • East Asian Studies.
  • Ethnic Studies.
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies.
  • French Studies.
  • German Studies.
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies.
  • Italian Studies.
  • Japanese Studies.
  • Korean Studies.
  • Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
  • Latin American Studies.
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies.
  • Polish Studies.
  • Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign)
  • Russian Studies.
  • Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies.
  • Slavic Studies.
  • Spanish and Iberian Studies.
  • Ukraine Studies.
  • Women's Studies.
Down Arrow Icon

02 BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
  • Biochemistry.
  • Biology, General.
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General.
  • Biomedical Sciences, General.
  • Biophysics.
  • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology.
  • Ecology.
  • Environmental Biology.
  • Evolutionary Biology.
  • Neuroscience.
Down Arrow Icon

03 BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES.
  • Business Administration and Management, General.
Down Arrow Icon

04 COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES.
  • Computer Science.
  • Information Science/Studies.
Down Arrow Icon

05 EDUCATION.
  • Education, General.
Down Arrow Icon

06 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS.
  • Creative Writing.
  • English Language and Literature, General.
  • Writing, General.
Down Arrow Icon

07 FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS.
  • African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General.
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
  • Comparative Literature.
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General.
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other.
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures, General.
  • French Language and Literature.
  • German Language and Literature.
  • Italian Language and Literature.
  • Portuguese Language and Literature.
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General.
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
  • Russian Language and Literature.
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General.
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
  • Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other.
  • Spanish Language and Literature.
Down Arrow Icon

08 HISTORY.
  • History, General.
  • History.
Down Arrow Icon

09 LEISURE AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
  • Dancing.
  • Music.
  • Theatre/Theater.
  • Writing.
Down Arrow Icon

10 MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS.
  • Applied Mathematics, General.
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other.
  • Mathematics and Statistics.
  • Mathematics, General.
  • Mathematics, Other.
  • Mathematics.
  • Statistics, General.
  • Statistics, Other.
Down Arrow Icon

11 MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES.
  • Ancient Studies/Civilization.
  • Classical and Ancient Studies.
  • Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Down Arrow Icon

12 NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION.
  • Environmental Science.
  • Environmental Studies.
  • Forest Sciences and Biology.
Down Arrow Icon

13 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES.
  • Philosophy, Other.
  • Philosophy.
  • Religion/Religious Studies, Other.
  • Religion/Religious Studies.
Down Arrow Icon

14 PHYSICAL SCIENCES.
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Astronomy.
  • Chemical Physics.
  • Chemistry, General.
  • Chemistry, Other.
  • Chemistry.
  • Geology/Earth Science, General.
  • Physical Chemistry.
  • Physics, General.
  • Physics.
Down Arrow Icon

15 PSYCHOLOGY.
  • Psychology, General.
Down Arrow Icon

16 SOCIAL SCIENCES.
  • Anthropology, Other.
  • Anthropology.
  • Archeology.
  • Economics, General.
  • Economics, Other.
  • Economics.
  • Political Science and Government, General.
  • Political Science and Government.
  • Sociology.
  • Urban Studies/Affairs.
Down Arrow Icon

17 VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation.
  • Art/Art Studies, General.
  • Dance, General.
  • Dance.
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
  • Film/Cinema/Video Studies.
  • Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other.
  • Jazz/Jazz Studies.
  • Music, General.
  • Music.
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General.
  • Visual and Performing Arts, Other.

Princeton Review Advice & Resources

60 Questions To Ask on Your College Tour | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

College Campus Safety | 91³Ô¹Ï | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

Top 10 College Majors | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

Top 12 Questions to Ask Your College Counselor | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

14 Summer Activities to Boost Your College Application | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

National Merit Scholarships and the PSAT | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

Scholarships for SAT and ACT Scores | Prep | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

4 Reasons to Take BOTH the SAT and ACT | 91³Ô¹Ï

Read More

How to Pay for College Resource Center

Read More

Enrollment Advisor

FAQ


Hours

Mon-Fri 9AM-10PM ET

Sat-Sun 9AM-8PM ET

Student Support

FAQ


Hours

Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM ET

Sat-Sun 8:30AM-5PM ET

Partnerships

Teach or Tutor for Us

College Readiness

International

Advertising

Affiliate/Other

About

Enrollment Terms & Conditions

Accessibility

Cigna Medical
Transparency in Coverage

Register Book

Privacy Policy | CA Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information | Your Opt-Out Rights | Terms of Use | Site Map

©2025 91³Ô¹Ï Education IP Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
91³Ô¹Ï is not affiliated with Princeton University

91³Ô¹Ï Education, LLC (doing business as “91³Ô¹Ï”) is controlled by Primavera Holdings Limited, a firm owned by Chinese nationals with a principal place of business in Hong Kong, China.