We are committed to bringing the greatest students to Columbia College — those who can best benefit from and contribute to our unique community — and once they are here, to supporting them in all of their endeavors. With support and engagement from alumni, parents and friends, we are able to help our students learn, grow and thrive during their time on campus so that after Commencement they can continue to make a difference in their communities and in the world.
Our Commitment to Our Students
Beginning in Fall 2015, undergraduate financial aid recipients from Columbia College and Columbia Engineering were able to apply for funds through the Deans’ Student Assistance Fund for unanticipated costs, including winter boots, travel home for emergencies and meal funding during Fall Break and Thanksgiving Break, when dining halls were previously closed. In 2015-2016, several hundred students received funding.
In Spring 2016, the deans of Columbia College and Columbia Engineering allocated funding to make Senior Week more accessible to all students, which student leaders used to offer free or subsidized tickets to the Senior Ball, a formal event that brings together the senior classes from all four undergraduate schools for a final celebration just prior to graduation.
Columbia College and Columbia Engineering announced that starting in Fall 2016, course fees for laboratory, language, writing, film and visual arts courses will be waived for undergraduates who receive Columbia financial aid grants.
400+ undergraduates were aided through the Deans’ Student Assistance Fund
College Senior Learns True Meaning of Double Discovery
“Columbia showed me a more expansive world.” —Jean-Franco Diaz ’16
College Senior Mentors Other First-in-Family Students
“I don’t see any better way to give something back to Columbia that can help future generations, and maybe in a future generation there’ll be a kid just like me.” — Brandon Martinez ’16
Committed to Supporting Future Generations
“I’ve always believed you get more by giving than by taking…. This is one of the great win-wins, helping to shape the lives of young people.” — Philip L. Milstein ’71
Through the Senior Fund, students help ensure that future generations of Columbians continue to have access to outstanding resources and experiences.
Through the Columbia College Alumni Sponsored Internship Program, alumni provide real-world experiences that help students prepare for their lives after Commencement.