A major declared after arrival
Columbia says students apply to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. The pages read describe no separate admission to Psychology.
Undergraduate · Columbia College
Columbia Psychology: foundation courses, three groups and a Special Elective
Columbia admits students to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, and Psychology is a major they can declare once enrolled. The Department of Psychology sets out a structure of three foundation courses, one course from each of three subject groups, a seminar, an integrative or applied Special Elective and electives that bring the total to 11 courses for students entering from Fall 2020. This guide explains that structure and how it differs from the Neuroscience and Behavior major. It makes no claim of a separate admission to Psychology.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Columbia says about Columbia Psychology
Taken from the Columbia Department of Psychology's Psychology Major and Degree Requirements pages and Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' Academics, Testing and International Applicants pages, read on 1 November 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.
Three foundation courses
Introductory psychology, one statistics course and one research methods course.
Three distribution groups
One course of three points or more from Perception & Cognition, Psychobiology & Neuroscience, and Social, Personality, & Abnormal.
A seminar and a Special Elective
One seminar and one integrative or applied Special Elective, then electives to reach 11 courses for students entering from Fall 2020.
The SAT or ACT is required from August 2027
Columbia says it will require first-year students to submit ACT or SAT results; it accepts A levels and the IB.
Official sources
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: Academicsundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
- Columbia Department of Psychology: Psychology Majorpsychology.columbia.edu
- Columbia Department of Psychology: Degree Requirementspsychology.columbia.edu
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions: Testingundergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on the Columbia Department of Psychology's Psychology Major and Degree Requirements pages and Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' Academics, Testing and International Applicants pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Columbia's Bulletin entry, the lists of approved courses for each requirement, the Special Elective page, the grade, research-credit and transfer-credit rules, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The major
What the department says the major requires
The department's Psychology Major page sets out a layered structure: three foundation courses, three courses spread across subject groups, a seminar, a Special Elective that integrates or applies psychology, and electives that complete the minimum. It notes that the requirements changed in 2020 and that students entering from Fall 2020 follow the new version. Majors are asked to plan early and to submit a Major Requirement Checklist before their final semester. The department's degree-requirements page treats the Psychology Major, the Psychology Concentration and the Neuroscience & Behavior Major as separate programmes. This guide did not read the approved course lists or the rules on grades, research credit or transfers.
Is it the right major?
Psychology beside Neuroscience and Behavior and Cognitive Science
Columbia describes these separately, so the major is chosen after arrival. Avandy's comparison is general.
Psychology fits if
you want the discipline's range from perception and cognition to social and clinical topics, with statistics and research methods built in.
Neuroscience and Behavior fits if
your interest is the brain and behaviour together. Avandy's Columbia Neuroscience and Behavior guide covers it.
Cognitive Science fits if
you want psychology alongside linguistics, philosophy and computation. Avandy's Columbia Cognitive Science guide covers it.
Admission and testing
Columbia College, an SAT or ACT and A levels or the IB
Columbia says students apply to either Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. It accepts all secondary school curricula, including the IB and Cambridge A Levels, and reviews applications within the context of the curriculum. It says that starting in August 2027 it will require first-year students to submit ACT or SAT results. The major is not a separate application. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Columbia's.
Are statistics and research methods comfortable parts of a psychology degree?
Both are foundation courses.
Do you want to sample perception, biology and social psychology?
The distribution requirement covers all three groups.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT with your A levels or IB?
Columbia asks for one of them 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 1 November 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 Psychology entry in the Columbia Bulletin and plan the SAT or ACT alongside your A levels or IB.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Columbia College 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 College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Columbia Psychology?
The pages read describe applying to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. Majors are declared after arrival.
How many courses does the new major need?
The department says electives bring the total to 11 courses for students entering from Fall 2020.
Is statistics required?
Yes. One statistics course is a foundation course.
How is it different from Neuroscience and Behavior?
The department lists them as separate programmes with their own requirements.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Columbia says that starting in August 2027 it will require first-year students to submit ACT or SAT results.
Does Columbia accept A levels and the IB?
Columbia says it accepts all secondary school curricula, including the IB and Cambridge A Levels, and reviews applications within the context of the curriculum.
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 Psychology
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their interest in experiments and statistics, how they weigh psychology against neuroscience 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.