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Columbia University
Academics

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How strong are the academics at Columbia University?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

6:1
Student to faculty ratio
26
Average class size
80%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Columbia has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
412
10-19
806
20-29
394
30-39
82
40-49
67
50-99
200
100+
92

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Columbia University:

97%
First-year retention rate
80%
4-year grad rate
95%
6-year grad rate

The average base annual salary of students who were employed within six months of graduation is $84,082. This is higher than the national average of $48,300.

$84,082
$48,300 (National Average)

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Columbia University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Computer Science
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Political Science and Government, General
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
History, General
71
127.4
183.8
240.2
296.6
353

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architecture 15
Area
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 25
  • East Asian Studies 15
  • Ethnic Studies 12
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 12
  • African-American/Black Studies 8
  • Latin American Studies 1
  • African Studies 0
  • Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign) 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Neuroscience 88
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 53
  • Biochemistry 21
  • Evolutionary Biology 6
  • Biophysics 1
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 353
  • Information Science/Studies 12
Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering 75
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 54
  • Operations Research 50
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 31
  • Computer Engineering, General 28
  • Civil Engineering, General 27
  • Chemical Engineering 20
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 9
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 9
  • Industrial Engineering 5
  • Engineering Mechanics 0
  • Engineering, Other 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 74
  • Creative Writing 24
Foreign Languages
  • Comparative Literature 42
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 11
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 6
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 6
  • Spanish Language and Literature 5
  • Linguistics 4
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 4
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 4
  • German Language and Literature 3
  • French Language and Literature 3
  • Italian Language and Literature 1
  • Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature 0
  • Portuguese Language and Literature 0
  • Russian Language and Literature 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 0
History
  • History, General 118
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Humanities/Humanistic Studies 5
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 0
  • General Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Applied Mathematics, General 56
  • Mathematics, General 31
  • Statistics, General 26
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Sustainability Studies 55
  • Mathematics and Computer Science 23
  • Data Science, General 6
  • Cognitive Science, General 2
  • Nutrition Sciences 0
  • Ancient Studies/Civilization 0
  • Climate Science 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Science 2
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 50
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other 6
  • Religion/Religious Studies 2
Physical Sciences
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 18
  • Physics, General 18
  • Chemistry, General 12
  • Materials Science 7
  • Astrophysics 6
  • Astronomy 6
  • Physical Sciences, Other 0
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 124
Science Technologies/Technicians
  • Science Technologies/Technicians, Other 0
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 301
  • Political Science and Government, General 210
  • Sociology, General 54
  • Social Sciences, Other 28
  • Anthropology, General 25
  • Economics, General 17
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 12
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Visual and Performing Arts, Other 55
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 26
  • Music, General 12
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 8
  • Dance, General 0

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