In today’s competitive online education environment, Columbia University stands out for its strong commitment to recruiting the very best students from all over the world. It also claims the most successful student immigration and retention rate in the country and has set a goal of increasing its international enrollment by 30 percent in just three years.
The Columbia College Visiting Student Program offers undergraduates the opportunity to enhance their current degree programs through taking courses in over 80 areas of study from prizewinning, pathbreaking faculty in a renowned college of arts and sciences. With a vibrant campus community and connections to the vast cultural and intellectual resources of New York City, Visiting Students can have an unparalleled semester or year at Columbia College.
Right here on Collegelearners, you can rest assured to obtain all the relevant information on undergraduate visiting student, how to get accepted to Columbia University, how to get into Columbia as an international students, amongst others.
Columbia Visiting Graduate Student
The Columbia University undergraduate admissions office encourages students to apply to Columbia with the understanding that every year, only an extremely small percentage of applicants are offered admission. Columbia does not admit students, or offer admission, based on their “potential”; admission offers are made only with an expectation that accepted applicants will demonstrate through hard work and appropriate academic preparation during their time at Columbia the potential to contribute significantly to the intellectual life of the University.
Columbia University in the City of New York is delighted to welcome your child to campus so they can experience the special environment found at one of the world’s great universities. The Columbia Visiting Student Program, established in 1912, provides an opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to enroll as visiting students at Columbia for a semester or academic year. During their time on campus, undergraduate visiting students experience the unique environment of a first-rate college and university and may take courses taught by Columbia faculty. Students live with Columbia undergraduate students and become part-time members of the university community.
What is A Visiting Student
Visiting students are non-degree seeking at OTC and are either taking classes while enrolled at another college or university or taking classes for personal growth and development.
Columbia Visiting Student Eligibility
The program is open to students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree-seeking program at another college/university and will have completed at least one full year of college credit by the time of enrollment. While the program is designed for sophomore and junior undergraduate students, senior (or fourth-year) students may be considered.
Students who attend institutions outside of the United States are eligible to apply.
Columbia Visiting Student Courses
Visiting Students may be eligible to take any course in Columbia College excluding the courses in the Core Curriculum and select courses in our economics and business management fields of study. Visiting Students are also eligible to enroll in select courses in Columbia Engineering and Barnard College, as long as those courses are open to Columbia College students.
Columbia does not guarantee that Visiting Students will be able to enroll in any specific class until the time of registration, and we therefore encourage students to have a wide selection of courses ready at the time of registration. Visiting Students may not enroll in any of Columbia’s graduate schools (including Columbia Business School) without first consulting their Advising Dean in the Berick Center for Student Advising.
Visiting Students must maintain full-time status by registering for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester and may take a maximum of 18 credit hours. Most students schedule 15-18 credit hours (approximately 5 classes) per semester. We recommend that you consult with your dean/academic advisor at your home institution to help plan your curriculum at Columbia and ensure that Columbia credits will transfer.
Visiting Student Application
Visiting Student status is given to students from overseas (in most cases countries outside the EU) who apply to a college to spend up to one year in Oxford on a course related to a degree in their own country. Visiting Students are typically undergraduate students taking a year abroad.
Visiting Student Program Comparison
Please note Columbia’s School of Professional Studies also offers a Visiting Student Program. The chart below highlights the key differences between the two program experiences.
Columbia College | School of Professional Studies |
---|---|
Eligibility: only undergraduates in degree-seeking programs | Eligibility: high school students, undergraduates and graduate students |
Classes primarily in Columbia College | Classes available across multiple University divisions (including graduate-level courses) |
Students must study full-time | Students may study part-time |
Tuition is charged per semester (plus mandatory fees and, if applicable, room/board) | Tuition is charged per class |
Program is available during the academic year only | Program is available during academic year and summer term |
Application process directed by Undergraduate Admissions | Application process directed by School of Professional Studies |
Columbia Visiting Student Admissions Information
Please note that Visiting Students to Columbia College are not permitted to apply for transfer admission. Prospective Visiting Students cannot apply to both Columbia College and Columbia Engineering at the same time. Please note that students who are interested in applying for the Combined Plan Program are eligible to apply to and attend the Visiting Student Program.
The Visiting Student Program accepts students to enter in either fall (September) or spring (January) semesters; students may enroll for a maximum of two semesters (either consecutive fall/spring semesters or spring/fall semesters), pending approval by Columbia.
Please note that a complete application includes:
- The Visiting Student Application, which includes short answer questions, submitted electronically
- A signed Statement of Eligibility from the applicant’s academic advisor or an equivalent official (such as university registrar) who can verify that the applicant is enrolled full-time; confirm that the applicant is in good academic and civic standing at their university/college; and verify that the applicant is permitted to study elsewhere as part of the Visiting Student Program. This statement should not be a letter of recommendation from an instructor.
- An official transcript from your current institution. To be official, the transcript must come from directly from the institution or from a school official via email, fax or mail. We strongly prefer electronic transcripts for faster processing, sent to ugrad-confirm@columbia.edu by a school official. We cannot accept transcripts submitted by candidates as official. Any documents that are part of your application file and are not in English, such as transcripts or recommendations, need to be officially translated into English and submitted along with the original documents. If mail is the only option available to you, please send materials to the following address:
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
Attn: Visiting Student Program
212 Hamilton Hall, Mail Code 2807
1130 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
- An official score report of English language proficiency testing, if applicable.
- A non-refundable $85 application fee, submitted electronically
SAT or ACT test scores are not required for admission to the Visiting Student Program. However, to be considered for admission to Columbia, you must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. If your home language is not English and if your primary language of instruction has not been English for at least four years, you are required to submit official scores from an English proficiency examination.
Columbia Visiting Student Admissions Requirements
- Students must be eligible (see Admissions Information above).
- Students should have a minimum 3.0 GPA (or equivalent) and be in good standing at their home institutions
- The responses to the short answer questions should clearly express an applicant’s knowledge of Columbia and how the Visiting Student Program will help enhance his/her overall educational experience
Columbia Visting Student Tuition
Points (Credits) | Tuition |
---|---|
Tuition per Credit | $2,208.00 |
Points (Credits) | Tuition |
---|---|
1 point (credit) | $2,132.00 |
2 points (credits) | $4,264.00 |
3 points (credits) | $7,180.00 |
4 or more points – cost per point (credit) | $2,132.00 per point (credit) |
Tuition Calculation Example – Individual Courses
Student enrolled in 12 points (typically equivalent to 4 courses):
$2,208.00 per points × 12 points = $26,496.00