Applicants are required to complete an application including an application form, an essay or essays, two letters of recommendation, transcripts from all post-secondary courses of study, test scores, and an application fee. A checklist and additional information are included below.
Application Checklist
Transcripts
GMAT or GRE Scores
English Equivalency Exam
Essay
Recommendations
Research Paper (DRO only, Optional)
Application Fee
Columbia Business School requires that the work contained in your application (including essays) is completely accurate and exclusively your own. Columbia University permits the use of generative AI tools for idea generation and/or to edit a candidate’s work; however, using these tools to generate complete responses violates the Honor Code. Applicants should not participate in the drafting of letter(s) of recommendation. All application content is subject to verification and adherence to the above requirements. OFFERS OF ADMISSION WILL BE RESCINDED SHOULD ANY MISREPRESENTATION AND/OR OMISSION OCCUR. |
Transcripts
A Bachelors degree or the equivalent (i.e., a four-year course of study in an accredited college or university) is required for admission. A Masters degree is not required, although some applicants have a Masters degree. Superior academic performance is expected.
GMAT or GRE Scores
Note: GRE/GMAT scores are OPTIONAL for DRO PhD applicants
Applicants may take either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), but scores from one are required for all applicants with the exception of those applying to the DRO Program. Test scores should be input into the appropriate section of the application. Admitted students will be asked to submit an official copy if there is not one on record. Decisions are not binding until these materials have been received.
- The GRE is administered by Educational Testing Service at numerous centers throughout the United States and abroad.
- Further information about the GMAT is available from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC).
- Test scores are only one of many factors that are considered when the School makes admission decisions and there is no minimum score that must be met in order to apply.
English Equivalency Exam
Applicants from abroad must also take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS unless they received a degree from an institution where English was the language of instruction.
Essay
Accounting
The Accounting Division is interested in your reasons for pursuing doctoral studies. Please describe them in an essay that is fewer than 1000 words.
Decision, Risk, and Operations
The Decision, Risk and Operations Division is interested in your reasons for pursuing doctoral studies. Please describe them in an essay that is fewer than 1000 words.
Finance
Essay Instructions: The Admissions Committee is interested in your reasons for pursuing doctoral study. In an essay no longer than 1000 words, please describe your educational goals, research interests, and professional objectives. If you have already formulated plans for dissertation-level research, please describe them as specifically as possible. Additionally, please describe the academic and/or professional achievements that have contributed most to your development and the formation of your goals and interests.
Management
The Management Division is interested in your reasons for pursuing doctoral studies. Please describe them in an essay that is fewer than 1000 words. and indicate the subarea to which you are applying (Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Organizational Theory).
Marketing
The Marketing Division is interested in your reasons for pursuing doctoral studies. Please describe them in an essay that is fewer than 1000 words in length and indicate the subarea (consumer behavior or quantitative modelling) that seems like the best fit for you, given your background. Note that your selection at this time is not binding. In fact, our PhD program has a set of core classes that all students take regardless of the subarea you indicate in your application and you are free to work on any marketing-related topics using the most appropriate methodologies.
Recommendations
Two letters of recommendation are required. However, a total of four may be submitted.
Research Paper (DRO Only, Optional)
Applicants to the Decision, Risk, and Operations Division are encouraged to submit up to two research papers as part of their application, if they have them. The application form provides the option to submit research papers under Essays.
Application Fee
An application fee of US$100 must be submitted with your application. An application is not considered complete until the fee has been paid.
Fee waivers are available to active duty US military personnel, and members of the Peace Corps, Teach for America, Teach for China, or Teach for India who are currently in service. Applicants who qualify for a fee waiver should email a fee waiver request, as well as proof of service, to [email protected].
The global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 presented institutions of higher education with challenges in teaching and learning, as well as in the assessment of academic performance. As a consequence of these challenges, Columbia University affirms the following principle: The University’s graduate and professional schools, as well as their respective Admissions committees, will take into account the important disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak when reviewing student transcripts and other Admissions materials as part of their customary practice of performing holistic reviews of individual applications or dossiers. Specifically, we will respect decisions made by institutions or individuals regarding the adoption of Pass/Fail or similar grading options during the period in question. The Provost and University Deans adopted this principle to ensure that no applicants are disadvantaged by policy decisions made by their colleges/universities as a result of this unprecedented public health event. |