1 - Completed online application form.
Nonrefundable Application Fee. The application fee is $80. Applicants must include credit card information through the online application.

2 - Transcript. An unofficial transcript is required for application review. Candidates offered admission will later be requested to supply official documents prior to enrollment. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to arrange for the submission of official transcripts at the earliest possible stage.
Transcripts must come in PDF format as provided by your school. PDF downloads of unofficial transcripts from student portals can be accepted only if they clearly show your full name, your school’s name, the full name of all courses taken, and all grades achieved in those courses.
If you are unable to obtain an unofficial copy of your transcript, please request to have an official copy sent from your school. It should be emailed from a school official’s professional email to [email protected]. It can also be mailed to our office at the address listed on this page. Note that mailed documents can take several weeks to be processed.

3 - Academic Recommendation. Applicants are required to submit the professional contact information for an instructor who teaches in a field closely related to the applicant's curricular preferences. The recommender is required to submit a form attesting to the student's qualification to engage in concentrated study.
Applicants may submit their online applications in advance of the recommendations.
During the application process you will add your recommender's information (name, title and school-affiliated email). Once you add and save their information, an email will be sent to your recommender with a link to our recommendation form.
The letter of recommendation must be submitted through the online application. Please note that recommendations submitted from non-school affiliated email addresses will not be accepted and must be resubmitted.

4 - Essays submitted through the online application.

General Essay
In 400 words or less, please respond to one of the following essay prompts:
Option 1. Tell us about a topic or social issue for which your opinion has changed. How has your change in perspective influenced your actions?
Option 2. Select one of Columbia's Pre-College Program values that most resonates with you and describe how you have pursued this value in your own life. Our values: Innovation, Critical Thinking, Social & Environmental Responsibility, Leadership, Global Awareness, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Writing Sample for Creative Writing or Journalism
For students enrolling in the Creative Writing or Journalism only. Submit one of the following:
- Two writing samples, 3–7 pages total (longer submissions are acceptable), consisting of poems, short stories, scripts or creative nonfiction.
- Two writing samples, 3–7 pages total (longer submission are acceptable) of any kind of writing demonstrating a command of grammar and punctuation.

5 - Community Standards Consent Form. Community standards are strictly enforced. Failure to abide by the Community Standards Consent Form will result in dismissal from the program.

6 - INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
International students who are proficient in English are welcome to apply to the program. While applicants are not required to submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores, students' English proficiency should be equivalent to 90 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL or at least 6.5 on the IELTS.

Deadline

Courses frequently fill up before the application deadline, so students are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Applications are processed on a rolling basis and will not be reviewed until all application materials have been submitted.

Fall 2023
Fall 2023 Early Registration Deadline - June 29
Fall 2023 Deadline - August 29

Spring 2024
Application Deadline - December 5