The Class of 2029: Columbia College and Columbia Engineering

Dear members of the Columbia community,

This past weekend, we welcomed the Class of 2029 to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, and these newest members of our community began their Columbia journeys. If you’ve been on campus, you’ve seen them moving into their residence halls, attending Convocation, embarking on their New Student Orientation Program, and registering for classes. It’s a joyous time in the academic cycle—one we look forward to each fall term.

These new undergraduates reflect the exceptionally wide range of talented young people from across the country and around the world who seek out Columbia’s unique educational community. They hail from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. 16% are international students, coming from 83 different countries. 19% are the first in their family to attend college, and 21% are the recipients of Pell Grants.

This was the fourth largest applicant pool in Columbia history, and we are gratified by the large numbers of students who continue to want to learn and study here. It’s a reflection of the incredible teaching and research that goes on at Columbia, the hard work of our dedicated staff, as well as our location in the greatest city in the world.

Importantly, this is the largest incoming class we have ever welcomed to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. In the context of a high volume of outstanding applications, a positive response to our initial offers of admission, and following the graduation of what was our largest class last spring, we made the considered decision to admit more students. Even in the face of uncertainty across higher education, we had an applicant pool filled with bright and engaged young minds, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to invite more of them into our community. As all of us here are well aware, it is an education like no other.

Our offers of admission, which concluded in June, were made alongside careful adjustments to the resources that support our students. These include increasing the number of instructional faculty, optimizing classroom space options, hiring additional advisors, and expanding dining options. We are confident that the Class of 2029 will live and learn at Columbia as their peers have done—embracing all the experiences and opportunities that come through our classrooms, our campus, and New York City.

We also want to reaffirm Columbia’s longstanding commitment to meeting the full and demonstrated need of all of our undergraduate students in Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Financial aid resources have been extended to support this larger class, increasing to $66 million, a 22% increase over last year. It has been, and it remains, incredibly important to us that a Columbia education is accessible for students, regardless of their ability to pay.

As we look ahead to next week and the official start of the new academic year, we want to wish the Class of 2029, and all our new and returning students, the very best. We cannot wait to see what you accomplish, the friendships you forge, the new interests you develop, and how you make the Columbia experience your own.

Sincerely,

Claire Shipman
Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Josef Sorett
Dean, Columbia College
Vice President for Undergraduate Education

Shih-Fu Chang
Dean, Columbia Engineering