Statement from Jessica Marinaccio, dean of admissions:
“Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science have received 36,223 applications for the undergraduate Class of 2019, a 9.9% increase over last year and a record high number of applications for Columbia; this represents the largest rate of increase since we joined the Common Application four years ago. We are pleased that students from all over the world have identified Columbia as a preferred college choice and we are enjoying the opportunity to get to know these diverse individuals through our holistic review process.”
Although I read that the reason application numbers go up every year is that universities send out more emails/brochures/mailings to get people to apply. And it doesn’t matter whether that person is qualified or unqualified. Universities just want more applications. It’s not necessarily more competitive.
Actually, the big jump in Columbia applications happened four years ago, when they started accepting the Common Application. They had about 35,000 applications that year, compared to about 26,000 the prior year, an increase of almost 35%. The number of applications fell back a little after that, running between about 32,000 and 33,000 over the last three years, until this year when it jumped above 36,000 for a new record. It’s not clear why it jumped this year compared to the last four.
Assuming they accept about the same number of students this year as last year, the overall admit rate will be about 6.3%. And the RD admit rate will be under 5%. And you’re right, it is insane.
Columbia is becoming more and more desirable. It excels in every field, not just tech. Students want to be in cities, and students from all over the world apply. It is also on a massive building and upgrading of facilities campaign with its new campus expansion.