What Happens to My Application After I Submit It?
Your online application will go through four main stages, outlined below; some applications also go through additional subphases, indicated with an asterisk.
- In Process
- Received
- Incomplete*
- Application Under Review
- Invited to Interview*
- Complete*
- Final Decision Is Rendered
In Process
As soon as you press the submit button, your application is in process.
Received
Your application has been received and is now being printed and prepared for review. Because of the volume of applications we receive, this stage can last for up to three or four weeks.
Incomplete*
We cannot review your application because not all required components have been received; check the application status page to see which are missing. We urge you to submit the missing materials as soon as possible so that we may begin reviewing your application.
If you have submitted any or all required elements (transcripts, recommendations) via postal mail, your status will be updated within three weeks of our receipt of those materials. If you receive confirmation of delivery from your courier but do not see an update to your status within that time, please contact our office with the date delivered, the address and the name of the person who signed for the delivery.
Application Under Review
We have received all of the required application components and have begun to review your application. During this stage, your application is reviewed by at least two admissions officers, after which it is evaluated by the Admissions Committee.
Once your application is under review, you may receive an invitation to interview at any time. We understand that applicants are often anxious to receive invitations and can find the timing of the invitation mysterious. Because applications go through several reviews, however, and any one of several application readers may elect to invite the applicant for an interview, it is impossible to predict when or whether an applicant will be invited to an admissions interview. The timing of an interview invitation has no bearing on the likelihood of your acceptance to Columbia Business School.
Note:
If you applied Early Decision, your status report should include the following statement:
Application for: September 2008 ED
Regular decision applicants will see the following statement:
Application for: September 2008
January applicants will see the following statement:
Application for: January 2009
Please contact the Admissions office at (212) 854-1961 if you notice any discrepancy.
Invited to Interview*
Interviews are by invitation only; they cannot be requested by applicants. Please note that interviews are not mandatory for admission.
If you are invited to interview, you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to set up your interview. Interviews are usually conducted by an alumnus or alumna in or near your hometown. If one is not available, you will be invited to interview via telephone with a current student in the Hermes Society. Please be aware that your interviewer will not be familiar with the details of your application except your professional résumé, should you choose to provide one in the interview portal of the application. Please be aware that being invited to interview may delay your final admissions decision.
Complete*
If you are invited to interview, within one week after the interview, your interviewer will submit a report to our office. Your status will change to “complete” as confirmation that the interview took place and that the Admissions Committee received the interviewer’s report. Please remember that there is no set timeline for receiving a final decision once an interview is completed. Your application may go straight to the Admissions Committee when the interview report is received, or it may first go through additional reviews by the Admissions staff.
Final Decision Is Rendered
Final decisions can be admission, denial of admission or wait list.
Applicants for the January term will receive a final decision from Columbia Business School within eight weeks of the date that a complete application goes under review.
September-term Early Decision applicants will receive a final decision from Columbia Business School within 10 weeks of the date that a complete application goes under review.
September-term Regular Decision applicants will receive a final decision from Columbia Business School within 12 weeks of the date that a complete application goes under review once the application review period begins. Be sure and check the options and deadlines page to see when the review periods begin.
* Indicates a subphase that may apply to your application.
