All students are strongly encouraged to consult their advising dean before making any decisions regarding their Core registration. For the most up-to-date registration information, please refer to your school’s Bulletin: Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, Columbia General Studies.
Students with questions about Core registration should refer to the Core FAQs page.
Registration Dates
The most up-to-date registration dates are available from the Office of the University Registrar. Students can view their individual registration appointments in Student Services Online (SSOL).
Fall 2025 – Important Dates
- Tuesday, September 2 - Core petition period begins
- Thursday, September 4 - Core petition period ends
- Friday, September 12 - last day to add, drops, or change a section of a Core class in SSOL
After Friday, September 12, students may not add, drop, or change sections of their Core classes. Students with questions and concerns should consult their advising dean. The Core drop date occurs much earlier than the regular drop date, so it is imperative that students keep this deadline in mind as they work out their schedules.
Spring 2026 – Important Dates
- Tuesday, January 20 - Core petition period begins
- Thursday, January 22 - Core petition period ends
- Friday, January 30 - last day to add, drop, or change a section of a Core class in SSOL
After Friday, January 30, students may not add, drop, or change sections of their Core classes. Students with questions and concerns should consult their advising dean. The Core drop date occurs much earlier than the regular drop date, so it is imperative that students keep this deadline in mind as they work out their schedules.
Core Policies
In addition to consulting your advising dean, and your school's Bulletin, please refer to the important policy information on the following pages:
Points of Contact
The Center for the Core Curriculum (core-curriculum@columbia.edu) for questions about registering for Literature Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, Frontiers of Science, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, and Core as Praxis/Fieldwork.
The Undergraduate Writing Program (uwp@columbia.edu) for questions about registering for University Writing.
Academic Affairs (cc-academic@columbia.edu) for general inquiries about the Science requirement, the Global Core requirement, and the Foreign Language requirement for Columbia College students. Please direct course-specific questions to the department offering the course.
The Physical Education department (phed@columbia.edu) for questions about the Physical Education requirement.