Columbia Receives 6,305 Early Decision Applications

On December 14, at 7 pm EST, Columbia extended an invitation to Early Decision applicants to join their Class of 2026.  According to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, the college reviewed a pool of 6,305 Early Decision applicants for the Class of 2026. This year, Columbia has not released statistics on the exact number of early applicants that have been accepted ; they did share that admitted students hail from all 50 states and nearly 50 countries.

“We feel honored that among all the college options available to them, these students felt that they could see themselves flourishing at Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science,” Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jessica Marinaccio said in a statement to the Columbia Spectator.

 “This cycle saw slightly fewer Early Decision applicants compared to last year, the total was still significantly higher than the 4,318 early decision applicants for the Class of 2024. This increase is driven by continued test-optional policies initially put in place for the Class of 2025 after canceled or postponed standardized testing due to COVID-19.” writes Benjamin Stein in the Spectator article. For the Class of 2025, Columbia College and Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science admitted 650 students out of the 6,435 students who applied Early Decision for an acceptance rate of 10.10 percent. This year marks a decrease of 2.02 percent in the number of applicants, and if prior years are reliable indicators, we expect that approximately 640 to 650 students have received a spot in the class of 2026. 

It is important to note that applying Early Decision may allow applicants to boost their chances of admission by demonstrating that Columbia is their top choice. Another potential benefit of Early Decision (assuming you get admitted) is being done with the college application and selection process as soon as possible. Applying to colleges, waiting to hear back about admissions decisions, and deciding which college to attend can cause tremendous stress for many students and their parents. 

If your student did not apply Early Action to Columbia and is in the process of completing their application and gathering supplementals, Ivy Link can help ensure they are submitting a compelling and authentic application. Even if your student has received a deferment, our expert advisors can strategize to make their candidacy stand out from among the many other qualified applicants. Our team can help deferred students craft a Statement of Persuasion and analyze what may have gone wrong in the Early Action round to help maximize their acceptance odds in the Regular Decision round. 

The Regular Decision deadline for Columbia is January 1.