FAQs
Admissions
Will I qualify for admission with a three-year undergraduate degree?
May I submit my application if I have not yet taken the GMAT and / or TOEFL?
How do I schedule an interview?
My transcript(s) and / or letter(s) of recommendation are not in English. What should I do?
If I've been denied admission, may I receive feedback on my candidacy?
If I've been denied admission, may I appeal the decision?
Do you have any advice for reapplicants?
I cannot obtain a financial guarantee statement. What should I do?
Do you offer an Executive MBA?
Academics
Do you accept transfer credits?
How many credits are required to complete the MBA program?
Tuition / Financial Aid
What are my financing options?
What types of financial aid are available, and who is eligible to apply?
Is graduate education affordable?
What is the cost of attendance?
How are fellowships awarded at Columbia Business School?
Is there an income limit for need-based consideration?
Is there financial aid available to international students?
When do I apply for loans and scholarships?
If I get a scholarship for my first year, will it renew automatically for the second year?
What is Columbia Business School's Title IV FAFSA code?
What is the average amount of need-based scholarships?
Are grants or scholarships taxable?>
Are there any other outside sources that I should consider?
Once admitted, how do I defer my outstanding loans?
Admissions
Will I qualify for admission with a three-year undergraduate degree?
The Admissions Office accepts applications from candidates with a three-year degree. Those applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
May I submit my application if I have not yet taken the GMAT and / or TOEFL?
Self-reported GMAT and TOEFL scores must be submitted with the application by the deadline. Scores will be verified after admission to the program.
How do I schedule an interview?
Interviews are conducted by invitation only; they cannot be requested by applicants. Invitations may be extended at any point in the application review process. The Admissions Office will contact you if you are selected for an 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 School's Hermes Society. Please be aware that your interviewer will not be familiar with the details of your application.
My transcript(s) and / or letter(s) of recommendation are not in English. What should I do?
Materials that are not in English must be transcribed by an official transcription agency and notarized. The School does not provide referrals to such agencies. Please submit both the original documents and the translations to the Admissions Office.
If I've been denied admission, may I receive feedback on my candidacy?
The admissions office does not offer individual feedback on denied applications. The Admissions Committee understands well the enormous commitment of time and energy that applying to business school represents. For a self assessment of your application you can look here.
If I've been denied admission, may I appeal the decision?
Columbia Business School is well aware of the depth of investment applicants make while participating in our selection process. Accordingly, the Admissions Committee reviews each candidacy with great care and thoughtful consideration. The review process is extremely thorough, and all decisions are final. There is no process for appeal.
Do you have any advice for reapplicants?
Before reapplying, candidates are urged to seek to strengthen their applications in any way possible. If you are considering a reapplication, please review the entering class profile (PDF) and consider the ways in which you might strengthen your candidacy. Consider the following:
- Significant change in your responsibilities at work
- Improved GMAT and / or TOEFL scores
- Refinement of your career goals
- New recommendations
- New interests pursued outside of work
If you are planning to reapply at or before the one-year mark, you may use our reapplication checklist to guide your process.
If you are planning to reapply after the one-year mark, please be aware of the following:
- You must file a complete application, including all transcripts, score reports, recommendations, essays, etc.
- GMAT scores are valid for five years; TOEFL scores are valid for two years.
- The Admissions Office will not be able to pull your file or any parts of your file from an archive.
I cannot obtain a financial guarantee statement. What do I need it for?
It is optional until you are admitted, but it will be required to obtain your I-20 (visa). All accepted students are eligible for guaranteed loans up to the total budget amount for the academic year. Once you have the loan approval that will be sufficient financial evidence to get the I-20.
Do you offer an Executive MBA?
Yes. Please visit the Executive MBA Programs Web site for more information.
I don't remember my college courses and grades. How am I supposed to complete the Transcript Template?
Call the college or university you attended and have them send you an unofficial transcript. If you attended more than one institution, get an unofficial transcript from each. You will only need an official copy of your academic records if you receive an offer of admission from Columbia. You should expect it to take at least several weeks to complete the application process. If you order your transcript(s) now, then begin working on your essays and other application components, you can complete this portion of the application upon arrival of your unofficial transcript(s). The Admissions Office has entered several test transcripts, and on average it takes about 90 minutes to complete transcripts for four years of undergraduate study.
All international applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL, unless you received a degree from an institution where English was the language of instruction.
Fee waivers are available to full-time students, military personnel, and to members of the Peace Corps and Teach for America who are currently in service. When applying, applicants requesting a fee waiver should select the "Check" payment option when submitting the application. Applicants who qualify for a fee waiver should fax a fee waiver request letter to 212-662-6754 and should explain their need for a fee waiver in the Optional Essay. Please allow up to three weeks for an update to your online status confirming that your fee waiver has been approved.
Academics
Do you accept transfer credits?
Columbia Business School does not accept transfer credits. During new-student orientation enrolling students may elect to take exemption exams for core courses. Students who pass an exemption exam are permitted to choose an elective in place of the corresponding core course, but each student must complete at least 60 credits of course work at Columbia Business School.
How many credits are required to complete the MBA program?
Students must complete a total of 60 Credits in order to graduate from the MBA Program at Columbia Business School. Students typically enroll in 5 classes each semester for 4 semesters of study. Each full term course is worth 3 credits; half term courses are worth 1.5 credits.
Tuition / Financial Aid
What are my financing options?
Financing options refer to the money to help you pay for your graduate education. Your primary source of funding will be through federal and/or credit-based education loans. Typically, a Columbia Business School financial aid package will include a combination of federal and/or private loans and, if eligible, fellowship and scholarship support.
What types of financial aid are available, and who is eligible to apply?
Columbia Business School offers need-based scholarships, merit-based fellowships and federal and private loans. Domestic students (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) are eligible to apply for need-based scholarships, merit fellowships and all loans. International students are eligible to apply for merit-based fellowships and private loans only.
Is graduate education affordable?
Yes, but the affordability of a graduate education is a personal decision. While financing is available, loans are more readily accessible than grants or scholarships.
What is the cost of attendance?
The cost of attendance is the maximum amount of financial aid and other aid a student can receive during the academic year. The number includes the cost of tuition, fees, and moderate living expenses. You can find an up-to-date breakdown of our cost of attendance (or budget) in the Financial Aid section of our Web site.
How are fellowships awarded at Columbia Business School?
Columbia Business School fellowships for first-year students are merit-based and awarded on the strength of a candidate's entire application. Merit fellowships can be awarded at the time of admission or at any point thereafter. No special application forms are required.
Fellowships are awarded only to students who begin the MBA Program in the fall term; students in the School's January MBA Program are not eligible for fellowship support. All admitted students who apply by the fellowship deadline and who select the fellowship consideration option in their application are considered. One may not apply for individual fellowships.
Is there an income limit for need-based consideration?
There is no set limit; however, need parameters are very stringent and include consideration of all available resources (including cash, savings, investments, IRA and 401(k) accounts, trust funds, real estate equity, G.I. and Social Security benefits, income of student and spouse and income tax refunds), as well as prior educational debt levels.
Is there financial aid available to international students?
International students may be considered for merit-based fellowships for the September entry. To be considered for a fellowship, you must submit a complete admissions application by the fellowship deadline and select the fellowship consideration option in the application. There is a limited amount of financial aid available in the form of fellowships. Awards are given on the basis of merit, and competition for fellowships is significant.
Foreign citizens can apply for a private loan to cover the cost of attendance with a creditworthy U.S. or permanent resident co-borrower ONLY.
Teaching assistantships are not a part of the financial aid package and are not available to incoming students. Most international students rely on family funds, personal savings, government or company sponsorships and / or loans secured in their home countries. For more details, see the Financial Aid section of our Web site.
When do I apply for loans and scholarships?
You should apply for loans and scholarships after you are admitted to the MBA Program. Based on your admission date, you will have a specific deadline for scholarship applications (domestic students only). In order to expedite the application process, we encourage you to prepare your tax return early and complete the FAFSA (domestic applicants only) as soon as possible.
If I get a scholarship for my first year, will it renew automatically for the second year?
No, only most merit awards are renewable. All need-based grants must be applied for annually. The deadline for continuing students is March 15.
What is Columbia Business School's Title IV FAFSA code?
Our school code is E00116.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a required supporting document for the scholarship application, as well as any federal loan applications. It is used to determine eligibility for the subsidized portion of the Stafford Loan.
What is the average amount of need-based scholarships?
Scholarship amounts vary for each student; however, the award is typically in the $3,000-$12,000 range.
Are grants or scholarships taxable?
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 states that grant assistance is taxable income to the extent that it exceeds tuition, required education fees and course-related expenses. Course-related expenses are defined as those for books, supplies and equipment required for your courses. For nonresident aliens, the University is required to withhold federal income tax on grants received in excess of the expenses described above.
Are there any other outside sources that I should consider?
You should determine whether any organization to which you belong might have aid funds available. Support is often available from religious, fraternal or athletic organizations, clubs, veteran groups, ethnic groups, unions, employers, rotary clubs, etc. For your convenience, the School has identified several outside scholarship sources on our Web site.
Once admitted, how do I defer my outstanding student loans?
Columbia Business School is a member of the National Student Clearinghouse. Once you are a registered student, your information will be sent directly to the clearinghouse and reported to your lender(s). You can also obtain a certificate of registration from the Columbia University Registrar's Office to forward to your lender.
If you have other questions, please contact us.
