Apply to Engineering, not to a department
Columbia says students apply to either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. The pages read describe no separate application to Biomedical Engineering.
Undergraduate · Columbia Engineering
Columbia Biomedical Engineering: a major inside Columbia Engineering
Columbia admits students to Columbia College or to Columbia Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering is a department of Columbia Engineering whose B.S. is one of several programmes. The Academic Catalog describes engineering and biological fundamentals, concentrations in contemporary biomedical engineering fields and courses shared with the Faculty of Medicine and Mailman School of Public Health. For an A-level or IB applicant, the questions are how the major is reached through Engineering and what Columbia requires, including the SAT or ACT from August 2027. This guide claims no separate admission to Biomedical Engineering.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Columbia says about Columbia Biomedical Engineering
Taken from Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' Academics, Testing and International Applicants pages and the Columbia Engineering Academic Catalog's Biomedical Engineering page, read on 31 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Columbia's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Engineering and biological fundamentals
Programmes at all levels are based on engineering and biological fundamentals, branching into concentrations.
Links to medicine and public health
Courses are complemented by offerings from the Faculty of Medicine, the College of Dental Medicine and the Mailman School of Public Health.
A 128-credit degree
The Catalog refers to a 128-credit degree requirement for undergraduates.
SAT or ACT from August 2027
Columbia says it will require ACT or SAT results from first-year and transfer applicants starting in August 2027.
Official sources
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: Academicsundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
- Columbia Engineering Academic Catalog: Biomedical Engineeringbulletin.columbia.edu
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: Testingundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' Academics, Testing and International Applicants pages and the Columbia Engineering Academic Catalog's Biomedical Engineering page, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Columbia's Biomedical Engineering department site, the undergraduate programme requirement tables, the concentration lists, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The major
What the Academic Catalog says
The Catalog describes biomedical engineering as an evolving discipline built on collaboration among engineers, physicians and scientists, with programmes from B.S. to Ph.D. Educational programmes at all levels rest on engineering and biological fundamentals and then branch into concentrations of contemporary biomedical engineering fields. The department draws on a university with a large medical centre. This guide did not read the undergraduate requirement tables, so it names no courses.
Is it the right major?
Biomedical Engineering or a neighbour
Columbia describes these as separate programmes, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Biomedical Engineering fits if
you want engineering methods applied to medicine and biology.
Neuroscience and Behavior in the College fits if
your interest is the brain and behaviour as science. Avandy's Columbia Neuroscience and Behavior guide covers it.
Operations Research or Applied Mathematics fits if
your interest is quantitative modelling. Avandy's Columbia guides to them cover those.
Admission and testing
SAT or ACT from August 2027, and your curriculum
Columbia says that starting in August 2027, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will require first-year and transfer applicants to submit ACT or SAT results. It accepts all secondary curricula, including the IB and Cambridge A Levels, and A Level and IB results must be submitted if they are required to complete and graduate from secondary school. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Columbia's.
Do you want to apply to Engineering?
The major sits in Columbia Engineering.
Which side attracts you, biology or engineering?
The Catalog bases programmes on both.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT?
Columbia says one is required from August 2027.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Columbia's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Columbia's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 31 October 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Columbia has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Columbia for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the Academic Catalog's Biomedical Engineering page and plan the SAT or ACT.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Columbia Engineering or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Columbia Engineering. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Columbia Biomedical Engineering?
The pages read describe applying to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, not to a department.
Which degrees does the department offer?
The Catalog lists B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Eng.Sc.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programmes.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Columbia says it will require them starting in August 2027.
Does Columbia accept A Levels and the IB?
Yes. Columbia says it accepts all secondary curricula and reviews applications in the context of the curriculum.
Does the page state offer scores?
No. This guide states no scores.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Columbia's wording with no entry-year label. Check Columbia's pages again when Columbia publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Columbia Biomedical Engineering
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their biology, physics and mathematics, their interest in medicine and engineering and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.