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Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Columbia University

Students comparing Columbia University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
New York, New York8,973 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 2Private nonprofitHighly selectiveUrban campus

The short answer

Columbia University: U.S. News ranks it #15 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #2 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #43 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #14 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #9 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #1 College Newspaper; QS ranks it #38 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 8,973 undergraduates, admits 4.0% of applicants, and posts a 96.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $71,845; aid recipients pay $21,590 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $102,491.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
4.0%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$21,590

76% below the $89,425 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$102,491

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
96.1%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1510–1580

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Columbia ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#15of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#2of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#43of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#14of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#9of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1 College NewspaperListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#38of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Columbia's position moves 3 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is unusually stable — its standing barely depends on whose formula you use. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Columbia

Columbia University is a private nonprofit institution in New York, New York. Federal data show 98.0% first-year retention and a 6:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $21,590 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $89,425 sticker cost against $21,590 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Columbia University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$71,845

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
22.7%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$17,580

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $89,425 a year, but the average family pays $21,590 — a 76% difference. 22.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Columbia's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    6:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    98.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    8,973

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Columbia: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $71,845 and on-campus room and board is $17,580, for a published total of $89,425 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $21,590.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 4.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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    Average net price
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    6-yr graduation rate
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
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    Average net price
    $23,777
    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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