Start Late, Finish On-Time
Columbia Business School recognizes that the traditional two-year MBA schedule may not be right for every student. Our January-entry option allows qualified students to skip the summer internship and get their degree in just 16 months, thereby reducing the opportunity cost of being out of the workforce during their studies.
One MBA, Two Paths
The January term is identical to the August-entry option in every way but the schedule: same professors, same rigorous core curriculum, same highly selective admissions standards. J-Term students attend orientation in the spring, while August-entry students are beginning their second terms, and finish their core courses over the summer, while August-entry students take summer internships.
In the fall of the second year, the two tracks become one, and all MBA students choose from the same pool of electives, gain access to the same career management resources, lead the same clubs, and graduate as a single class. About 30 percent of full-time MBA students enter in January.
Requirements
The primary requirement for the January-entry term is that you do not feel you need an internship. This tends to attract students who wish to remain in the same industry (including sponsored students), entrepreneurs, and students in family businesses.
We begin reviewing applications for January entry once the application becomes available in June. Decisions are released in a rolling fashion. The final application deadline is in September.