Two degrees across two countries
Students earn one bachelor's from Sciences Po and one from Columbia. The first two years are at one of four Sciences Po campuses, and years three and four at Columbia's School of General Studies.
Undergraduate · Columbia and Sciences Po
Columbia and Sciences Po Dual BA: a separate route with two entry points
The Dual BA Program is separately administered from Columbia College and Columbia Engineering: students spend two years at a Sciences Po campus and two at Columbia's School of General Studies and earn a degree from each. There are two entry points, the first-year application process and the 3A Entry process for students already in their second year at Sciences Po. A school student applying from the UK or an international school needs the first-year process. The Columbia pages read describe the 3A route in detail and refer to the first-year process without setting out its requirements, so this guide states the structure and the eligibility limits and does not invent first-year rules.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Columbia says about Columbia and Sciences Po Dual BA
Taken from the Dual BA Program's How to Apply, Program Overview and 3A Entry Process pages on Columbia's School of General Studies site, 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.
Up to 60 credits count toward Columbia
Columbia says up to 60 eligible credits from the Sciences Po social science curriculum count toward Columbia degree requirements, and students complete at least 64 credits at Columbia.
A Civic Learning Programme is mandatory
Columbia describes it as a mandatory element of the Dual BA Program.
3A is only for students already at Sciences Po
Students not enrolled in a Sciences Po undergraduate programme are not eligible for 3A Entry and must apply through the first-year application process.
3A applications request SAT or ACT scores if applicable
For the 3A route, Columbia requests a photocopy of SAT or ACT scores, if applicable, and lists A levels, the French baccalaureat and the IB among sources of official records. Whether the first-year route has the same rules is not stated on the pages read.
Official sources
- Columbia School of General Studies: Dual BA Program Overviewsciencespo.gs.columbia.edu
- Columbia School of General Studies: Dual BA 3A Entry Processsciencespo.gs.columbia.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on the Dual BA Program's How to Apply, Program Overview and 3A Entry Process pages on Columbia's School of General Studies site, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Sciences Po's own first-year application requirements, deadlines and language rules, the Dual BA financial aid pages, and Columbia's English-proficiency details for the first-year route were not read, so the first-year application requirements are not stated and are not stated.
The structure
Two years of interdisciplinary social science, then Columbia's Core and a major
Columbia describes a first two years at Sciences Po following an interdisciplinary social science curriculum, with each campus devoted to the social sciences of a region of the world. After this, students matriculate at the School of General Studies, Columbia's undergraduate college for students pursuing a non-traditional educational path, and complete Core distribution requirements and a major, choosing from more than 80 majors and minors. Each student has an advisor at both Sciences Po and Columbia. The page says students work with Columbia advisors to determine how their Sciences Po coursework is credited.
Two entry points
First-year entry and 3A entry are different processes
The 3A Entry process is for students enrolled in their second year of undergraduate studies in the Collège Universitaire on any of Sciences Po's campuses; they apply to continue to Columbia in place of the traditional third-year abroad. Columbia states that students not currently enrolled in a Sciences Po undergraduate programme are not eligible and must apply through the first-year application process. The pages read give the 3A requirements, including a review of academic history, recommendations, standardized test scores and a personal essay, and do not set out the first-year requirements, so a school student should read the first-year application guidance before planning.
First-year entry
The route for a school student. The Columbia pages read do not set out its requirements.
3A entry
For students already in their second year at Sciences Po. Do not confuse it with first-year entry.
Not Columbia College or Engineering
The Dual BA is separately administered; candidates rejected by Columbia College or Engineering in the last three years are not eligible for the transfer route.
Testing and qualifications
What the pages say, and the limits
For the 3A application Columbia asks for SAT or ACT scores if applicable, and English proficiency evidence for non-Anglophone students, and names A levels, the French baccalaureat and the International Baccalaureate among sources of official school records. These statements are about the 3A application. The pages read do not state testing or language rules for first-year entry, and this guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Columbia's or Sciences Po's.
Do you want to study in France first and then in New York?
The programme is two years in each, at different institutions.
Is a social science curriculum your aim?
The Sciences Po years follow an interdisciplinary social science curriculum.
Which entry route applies to you?
A school student applies through the first-year process, not 3A.
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-country structure and the entry-route distinction: read 31 October 2026 with no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Columbia has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
First-year application requirements, deadlines and language rules: not stated here
This guide has not read them. Check the Dual BA and Sciences Po first-year guidance for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the first-year application guidance, check language requirements and plan how your qualifications would be reported.
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, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Columbia or Sciences Po. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Is the Dual BA the same as applying to Columbia College?
No. Students are enrolled at Sciences Po for two years and at Columbia's School of General Studies for two, and the programme is separately administered.
Can a school student use the 3A route?
No. Students not enrolled in a Sciences Po undergraduate programme must apply through the first-year application process.
How many credits transfer?
Up to 60 eligible credits from Sciences Po count toward Columbia degree requirements.
Does the programme name A levels or the IB?
The 3A page names A levels, the French baccalaureat and the IB among sources of official records; first-year rules are not stated on the pages read.
Is it two degrees?
Yes, one bachelor's from Sciences Po and one from Columbia University.
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 and Sciences Po Dual BA
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their reasons for a two-country degree, their languages and which entry route applies to them, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.