One application, two schools
The first-year application is for students who plan to enrol full time in either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. They are separate schools with different recommended preparation.
Undergraduate · Columbia
Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? A guide for A-level and IB Diploma students
Columbia's first-year application is for either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, and the two schools ask for different preparation. Columbia says it accepts all secondary school curricula, naming A-levels and the IB, and reviews applications in the context of the curriculum. The Engineering school strongly advises calculus, physics and chemistry and needs one maths or science teacher recommendation; the College asks for evidence of broad preparation. The testing page announces a standardised testing requirement for the 2027-2028 cycle, which is the cycle a 2028-entry applicant would use. The pages are written for 2026-27, so confirm each point on Columbia's own pages.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, written for the 2026-27 cycle
What Columbia says about its two schools, curricula and testing
Taken from Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' First-Year Applicants, International Applicants and Testing Policy pages, read on 31 October 2026. The pages are written for the 2026-27 admissions cycle, so for a 2028-entry application each statement is evidence from the previous cycle unless it says otherwise, and the testing page announces a change that you should confirm on Columbia's own page.
All curricula accepted, read in context
Columbia accepts all secondary school curricula, naming the IB and Cambridge A Levels, and reviews applications within the context of your curriculum.
Engineering leans on calculus and physics
Columbia Engineering prescribes no standardised course of study, but says its curriculum is heavily driven by physics and calculus and strongly advises those courses, including one year each of chemistry and physics.
Testing is announced as required from the 2027-2028 cycle
Columbia says it will reinstate a standardised testing requirement, effective August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admission cycle, and remains test optional for 2026-2027. You may choose the ACT or the SAT.
No interviews, two teacher letters
Interviews are not part of the application process. Columbia requires two teacher recommendations, and for Engineering one must come from a maths or science teacher.
Official sources
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: First-Year Applicantsundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: International Applicantsundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: Testing Policyundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' First-Year Applicants, International Applicants and Testing Policy pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages are written for the 2026-27 cycle. Columbia's English proficiency requirements, financial aid, Columbia-specific application questions, Early Decision details, deadlines and the pages for each school's curriculum were not read for this guide and are not described, and no score or deadline is stated.
Two schools
College and Engineering are different choices, not two labels for one course
Columbia's first-year application is for students who plan to enrol full time in either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. For the College, Columbia says there is no explicit number of unit requirements, but applicants must present evidence that they are prepared for college work in the humanities, mathematics, social sciences, foreign languages and natural sciences. For Engineering, Columbia says it prescribes no standardised course of study, but that the curriculum is heavily driven by physics and calculus. Which school is right depends on the student's subjects and interests, and the application should reflect that choice.
Preparation
What each school recommends, and what the pages do not say about A-levels
For the College, Columbia strongly recommends four years of English literature and composition, four years of mathematics, three to four years each of history or social studies and of laboratory science, and three to four years of one world language, and says students who plan to become scientists, engineers, physicians or dentists should be as solidly grounded in mathematics and the sciences as their schedules permit. For Engineering, it strongly advises four years of mathematics through calculus, four years of laboratory science including a year of chemistry and a year of physics, four years of English, three to four years of history or social studies and two to three years of a world language. The pages describe these in years of study, and none of them maps an A-level or IB subject to a year, so ask Columbia or your school how your own subjects compare rather than assuming.
Your curriculum
How A-levels and the IB are presented
Columbia says its admissions staff are familiar with a variety of school systems and transcripts, that all applications are reviewed by region, and that the school profile sent with your secondary school report describes the school, grading system, curriculum and extracurricular resources. Internal and external exam results, such as A Level and International Baccalaureate, must be submitted if they are required to complete and graduate from secondary school; if they are not required, you are not required to submit results. For a UK-curriculum student, the practical step is to ask your school what its profile says and how predicted and final results will be reported.
Testing
The announced requirement is the point to plan around
The Testing Policy page says Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will reinstate a standardised testing requirement, effective August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admission cycle, for first-year and transfer applicants, and remain test optional for 2026-2027. You may choose either the ACT or the SAT, there are no minimum test score requirements, and applicants who face challenges in meeting the requirement may request a waiver at the time of application. A student planning 2028 entry would apply in the 2027-2028 cycle, so this is the statement to plan around, but the page is written for the 2026-27 cycle: confirm the final wording and any detail not read here on Columbia's own page. Nothing read says that A-level or IB results replace the test.
Recommendations and the rest of the file
Two teachers, a school report, and your own work
Columbia requires two teacher recommendations from teachers who taught you in academic disciplines, and for Columbia Engineering one of them must come from a maths or science teacher. The Secondary School Report is a form completed by a school counsellor or other school official. Interviews are not part of the application process. Columbia expects all submitted application materials to be your own original work reflecting your authentic voice, regardless of the tools and support used, and says it does not authorise or work with independent agents for its recruitment. Avandy is an independent adviser: it has no partnership with Columbia, it does not submit materials on a student's behalf, and it does not write, edit or rewrite any essay or recommendation.
A decision framework
Three questions before you choose a school
This is Avandy's own framework, not Columbia's.
Where does your work show the strongest evidence?
Breadth across the humanities, sciences and languages points one way; depth in mathematics, physics and chemistry points the other.
Can you show the preparation Engineering describes?
Calculus, physics and chemistry are named. Ask how your own subjects sit against them.
Is a US test plan realistic alongside your exams?
If the announced requirement applies to your year, the ACT or SAT sits beside A-levels or the IB. Plan the timetable honestly.
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 two-school structure, the recommended preparation, the curriculum statements, the teacher-letter rules and the announced testing change: read 31 October 2026 on pages written for 2026-27
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Columbia has not confirmed the 2028-entry details beyond what its testing page announces.
English proficiency requirements, deadlines, Columbia-specific questions, Early Decision and financial aid: not stated here
This guide has not read them. Check Columbia for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Decide which school fits, ask your school about its profile and how your subjects compare with the recommended preparation, plan the ACT or SAT, and read Columbia's testing page for your year.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Columbia University 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 or recommendations, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Columbia. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply to both Columbia College and Columbia Engineering?
The first-year application is for students who plan to enrol in either of the two. The pages read do not describe applying to both, so ask Columbia before assuming anything.
Does Columbia accept A-levels and the IB?
Columbia says it accepts all secondary school curricula, naming the IB and Cambridge A Levels, and reviews applications in the context of your curriculum.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Columbia says it is test optional for 2026-2027 and will reinstate a standardised testing requirement effective August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admission cycle. Confirm the details on its testing page.
Does Columbia interview applicants?
No. Columbia says interviews are not part of the application process.
Does Columbia work with agents?
Columbia says it does not authorise or work with independent agents for its recruitment efforts.
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
Tell us about the student's curriculum, which of the two undergraduate schools fits their subjects, and how to present their curriculum, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.