Applications dip slightly at Columbia University, but no large drop despite campus turmoil

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Mar 28, 2025

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NEW YORK — Columbia University has largely maintained the size of its application pool — despite campus protests over Gaza and scrutiny by the federal government that have besieged the university over the last year, according to newly released undergraduate admissions data.

Overall, 59,616 students applied to Columbia, down by just more than 1% from 60,248 applicants the year before. It remained “one of the largest applicant pools in Columbia’s history,” according to a school announcement — a statement The New York Daily News independently verified.

High school seniors were notified of their admissions decisions on Thursday night.

“We in admissions understand how much of themselves the students who were admitted today put into their applications,” said Jessica Marinaccio, Columbia’s dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid. “We were honored to have the chance to get to know them, and now we are preparing to help them see themselves here as Columbians.”

The data also revealed it was slightly easier to get into Columbia this year than last. The acceptance rate was 4.3%, up from 3.9% the previous cycle. The increase may have been driven in part by Columbia accepting 200 more applicants, giving the university more of a cushion if admitted students ultimately decide to enroll elsewhere.

Students submitted their applications before President Donald Trump took office, and before $400 million in federal funding was revoked from the university — a financial hit that Interim President Katrina Armstrong warned would “touch nearly every corner of the University.” Last week, Columbia agreed to several of the federal government’s demands in a bid to restart the canceled contracts and grants.

Columbia’s Class of 2029 may still face headwinds.

Fewer high school seniors applied early to Columbia this admissions cycle, according to Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper. Early decision is a binding process that requires accepted students to attend Columbia. Students admitted through the regular decision process may opt to register at a rival school not currently in the Trump administration’s cross-hairs.

Some pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students have also made personal decisions and public calls not to enroll in or engage with Columbia, whether they disagree with the university’s handling of campus protests or otherwise feel unsafe on campus — either because of the presence of protesters or law enforcement.

As part of the concessions made to the Trump administration on March 21, the university said it was engaging outside experts to make recommendations on Columbia’s admissions practices. An advisory group has also been established to analyze recent enrollment trends.

“For example, we have identified a recent downturn in both Jewish and African American enrollment, and we will closely examine those issues,” read the memo to federal agencies. This admissions cycle was the second in which affirmative action was banned.

Columbia became the epicenter of protests over the war in Gaza last year as students pitched tents on the campus lawns, launching a wave of encampments across American colleges. The demonstrations came to a head when activists occupied Hamilton Hall, shifting the rest of the semester online and canceling university-wide commencement.

The U.S. House education committee first launched its investigation into antisemitism at Columbia in February 2024, nearly a year before Trump became president.