Columbia University, School of General Studies

Columbia University School of General Studies

Located in New York City, the School of General Studies (GS) Columbia University is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country dedicated specifically to students with nontraditional backgrounds seeking a traditional education at an Ivy League university. Most students at GS have, for personal or professional reasons, interrupted their education, 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 Columbia undergraduates.

GS enrolls world-class dancers, athletes, and musicians; bankers and small business owners; military veterans; and people who come from as far away as China, Israel, and Germany. They have the option to study either full- or part-time. Many students work full-time while pursuing a degree, and many have family responsibilities; others attend classes full-time and experience Columbia's more traditional college life.

The School of General Studies has nearly 1,500 undergraduate degree candidates and more than 400 students enrolled in the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. The average age of a GS student is 29, and more than 60 percent of GS students attend classes full time, and more than 70 percent of GS graduates go on to earn advanced degrees.

GS is also home to dual-degree programs with the French university Sciences Po, Hong Kong's City University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Students enrolled in these interdisciplinary programs complete two bachelor's degrees from two schools over four years.

Columbia University Campus

Columbia University is located in Morningside Heights, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The university's neighbors include the Union Theological Seminary, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Manhattan School of Music, St. Luke's Hospital, Riverside Church, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The diversity of intellectual and social activities offered by these institutions is one of Columbia's great assets as a university; another is New York City itself, which offers Columbia students a rich and almost boundless variety of social and cultural opportunities.

Columbia University Majors and Degrees

The School of General Studies at Columbia offers a traditional liberal arts education designed to provide students with the broad knowledge and intellectual skills that foster continued education and growth in the years after college as well as providing a sound foundation for positions of responsibility in the professional world.

Columbia University School of General Studies grants the B.A. and B.S. and offers more than 70 majors and concentrations. Individually designed majors are also available. The top three majors selected by GS students are economics, English, and political science.

In addition, Columbia University School of General Studies offers undergraduate dual-degree programs with the Jewish Theological Seminary, the French university Sciences Po, and Hong Kong's City University.

The Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po is an intensive, transatlantic course of study in which undergraduate students earn bachelor's degrees from both Sciences Po and Columbia University in four years. Students will spend two years at one of three Sciences Po regional campuses, each of which is devoted to a particular part of the world and offers a heavy linguistic and cultural focus. After completing Sciences Po's interdisciplinary social science curriculum, Dual BA students will matriculate at GS to complete the requirements for a major, as well as fulfill core distribution requirements in a variety of disciplines, including literature, art, music, science, and the humanities. Upon graduation, Dual BA Program students are eligible for guaranteed admission to a graduate program at Sciences Po. Admission to the program is highly competitive, and high school seniors are eligible to apply.

The Dual BA Program between Columbia University and City University of Hong Kong follows a similar structure to the Sciences Po program. Students at City University of Hong Kong (City U) follow a two-year course sequence before matriculating in GS to fulfill the remaining core and major requirements. After the fourth year of the program, students will hold two bachelor's degrees.

Study Abroad

Columbia students may enhance their academic experiences through a variety of study abroad programs around the world, which include the Reid Hall Program in the Montparnasse district of Paris, the Berlin Consortium for German Studies, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies, or the Language Program in Beijing, China. Students may also apply to participate in one of the Columbia-approved study abroad programs located in countries around the world.

Financial Aid

Columbia University School of General Studies awards financial aid based upon need and academic ability. Approximately 70 percent of GS students receive some form of financial aid, including Federal Pell Grants, New York State TAP Grants, Federal Stafford and unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, General Studies Scholarships, and Federal Work-Study Program awards. GS is also a proud participant in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Yellow Ribbon Program, and has more than 250 U.S. military veterans enrolled who receive funding through this program.

Students in their first period of enrollment will typically receive a scholarship between $7,000 and $9,000. Priority application deadlines for new students are March 1 (Early Action) and June 1 for the fall semester and October 1 (Early Action) and November 1 for the spring semester.

Costs

For the 2012-2013 academic year, tuition is $1454 per credit hour and living (room and board) and personal expenses (books, local commuting costs, and miscellaneous expenses) are approximately $22,045.

Columbia University Faculty

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is made up of more than 1,000 distinguished scholars in virtually every discipline. Students, whether full- or part-time, have many opportunities to work closely with faculty members, both in small classes and in research projects. Faculty members also serve as advisors to students majoring in their area of study and maintain regular office hours to see students.

Notable faculty include: Martin Chalfie, Nobel laureate in chemistry; Brian Greene, author of "The Elegant Universe"; Rosalind Krauss, prominent scholar of 20th-century art and art criticism; Jeffrey Sachs, head of the United Nations Millennium Project to end poverty; James Schamus, head of Focus Features, producer of many films, including "Brokeback Mountain," and screenwriter whose credits include "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; Gayatri Spivak, pioneering scholar in the fields of postcolonial studies and deconstruction; Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to President Clinton; and Mark Strand, former U.S. Poet Laureate.

Columbia University Admissions Information and Deadlines

Students who wish to apply to GS must submit an application, test scores, high school and college transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a non-refundable application fee. If the applicant has not taken the SAT or ACT within the last eight years, he or she has the option of taking the General Studies Admissions Exam (GSAE) as an alternative to the SAT.

The application deadline for fall is June 1, and for Early Action (nonbinding), it is March 1; for spring, the deadline is November 1, and for Early Action (nonbinding), it is October 1.

For more information about admissions requirements, please visit

http://www.gs.columbia.edu/admissions

• Agriculture
• Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Architecture
• Architecture
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Architectural History and Criticism
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Area and ethnic studies
• African Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• American Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Asian Studies (East)
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Latin American Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Near and Middle Eastern Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Russian Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Slavic Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Caribbean Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Regional Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• French Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Italian Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• African American/Black Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Asian-American Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Women's Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biological/life sciences
• Biology/Biological Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biochemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biophysics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Ecology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Evolutionary Biology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Environmental Biology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Neuroscience
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Business/marketing
• Finance and Financial Management Services Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computer and information sciences
• Computer and Information Sciences Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Information Science/Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computer Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• English
• English
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Writing
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Creative Writing
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• English Language and Literature Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Foreign languages and literature
• Comparative Literature
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• East Asian Languages Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Slavic Languages
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Russian
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• German
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Germanic Languages Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• French
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Italian
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Hebrew
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Classics and Classical Languages
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Classics and Classical Languages Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• History
• History
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Interdisciplinary studies
• Ancient Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mathematics and statistics
• Mathematics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Applied Mathematics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Statistics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mathematics and Statistics Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Natural resources/environmental science
• Environmental Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Philosophy and religious studies
• Philosophy
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Religious Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physical sciences
• Astronomy
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Astrophysics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Chemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Chemical Physics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Environmental Chemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Geology/Earth Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Psychology
• Psychology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Social sciences
• Anthropology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Archeology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Economics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Economics Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Political Science and Government
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Political Science and Government Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Sociology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Urban Studies/Affairs
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Visual and performing arts
• Visual and Performing Arts
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Dance
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Design and Applied Arts Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Dramatic/Theater Arts
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Film/Cinema/Video Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Art History, Criticism and Conservation
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Music
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Visual and Performing Arts Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied321
• Accepted113
• Acceptance Rate35%
• Enrolled1,499
• Female Applicants174
• Females Accepted63
• Female Acceptance Rate36%
• Male Applicants147
• Males Accepted50
• Male Acceptance Rate34%
• Applying
• Application Fee$75
• Required for All Essay or personal statement
  Transcript of high school record
  Letter(s) of recommendation
  
• Required for Some Interview
  
• Average high school GPA for first-year freshman
• Application Deadlines
• Type Application Closing Notification Date Rolling Admissions
• Fall freshmen June 1st --
• Out-of-state Fall freshmen Not Reported
• Early decision plan Not Reported
• Other early decision plan Not Reported
• Transfer June 1st --
• Test Scores Accepted
• Test Average School Accepted 25th Percentile* 75th Percentile*
• * 25th and 75th percentile is the score that 25/75 percent of students score at or below.

• Tuition
• In-state tuition *$41,760
• Out-of-state tuition *$41,760
• In-district tuitionN/A
• * Tuition costs are based on a full academic year typically extending from September to June.
• Fees
• Full-time student fees$2,198.00
• Room and board *$10,125.00
• Room only *$5,850.00
• * Room and board charges vary according to board plan selected (i.e., 12-meal plan, 19-meal plan, etc.) and student level (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
• Other Payment Considerations
• Guaranteed tuition plan offeredNo
• Tuition pre-payment planYes
• Tuition payment plans offeredInstallments
• Student groups that qualify for full or partial waiver of tuitionEmployees or children of employees

• Gender
• Total Undergraduate Students1,499
• Male Student Percentage55%
• Female Student Percentage45%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic/Latino8.34%
• Black or African American4.67%
• White or Caucasian36.82%
• American Indian or Alaska Native.87%
• Asian6%
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific IslanderNot Reported
• Two or more races%
• Unknown28.29%
• Other Student Statistics
• International Breakout15.01% representing 82 other countries
• Out-of-state Students43% out-of-state student

• Housing
• College-owned housing available Yes
• Housing Requirements Not Reported
• Housing options Coed housing , Cooperative housing
• Percentage of undergraduate students who live in college-owned housing 32%
• Student Activities
• Student-run campus newspaper Yes
• Drama / theater group Yes
• Student-run radio station Yes
• Student-run television station Yes
• Marching band Yes
• Choral groups Yes
• Student Services
• Legal services No
• Health clinic Yes
• Personal / psychological counseling Yes
• Women's center Yes
• Student Organizations
• Greek fraternities Yes
• Greek sororities Yes
• Local fraternities No
• Local sororities No
• Other organizations Not Reported
• Most popular organizations Columbia Dramatists, writers club, General Studies Student Council, The Observer
• Campus Security and Safety
• 24-hour emergency telephone / alarm services Yes
• 24-hour patrols by trained officers Yes
• Students patrols Not Reported
• Late-night transport / escort services Yes
• Electronically-operated dormitory entrances Not Reported
• Other Not Reported

• Men's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Archery No No No
• Badmington No Division C No
• Baseball No Division 1 No
• Basketball No Division 1 No
• Crew No Division X No
• Cross-country running No Division 1 No
• Equestrian sports No No No
• Fencing No Division 1 No
• Field hockey No No No
• Football Yes Division B No
• Golf No Division 1 No
• Gymnastics No No No
• Ice hockey No Division C No
• Lacrosse No Division C No
• Racquetball No Division C No
• Rugy No Division C No
• Sailing No Division C No
• Skiing No Division C No
• Soccer Yes Division 1 No
• Squash No Division C No
• Swimming No Division 1 No
• Tennis No Division 1 No
• Tennis No Division C No
• Track No Division 1 No
• Volleyball Yes No No
• Water polo No Division C No
• Wrestling No Division 1 No
• Women's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Archery No Division 1 No
• Badmington No Division C No
• Baseball No No No
• Basketball No Division 1 No
• Crew No Division X No
• Cross-country running No Division 1 No
• Equestrian sports No Division C No
• Fencing No Division 1 No
• Field hockey No Division C No
• Football Yes No No
• Golf No No No
• Gymnastics No Division X No
• Ice hockey No Division C No
• Lacrosse No No No
• Racquetball No Division C No
• Rugy No Division C No
• Sailing No Division C No
• Skiing No Division C No
• Soccer Yes Division 1 No
• Squash No Division C No
• Swimming No Division 1 No
• Tennis No Division 1 No
• Tennis No Division C No
• Track No Division 1 No
• Volleyball Yes Division 1 No
• Water polo No Division C No
• Wrestling No No No

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty1,823
• Full-time Percentage79%
• Part-time Percentage21%
• Female Percentage34%
• Male Percentage66%
• Student:Faculty Ratio6:1 or 7,274 students to 1,207 faculty