Columbia Demographics: How Diverse Is It?

Much Higher Than Average Diversity

We combine factors of racial, geographic, gender and age diversity to create an overall diversity ranking for each school.

Highly diverse across all factors, Columbia University in the City of New York is ranked #11 nationwide.

Racial Diversity is Very High

This very diverse school may be a great place for young students to get to know other students with different cultures and backgrounds.

Sitting at #155, Columbia University in the City of New York has received an excellent ranking for ethnic diversity nationally.

Columbia boasts excellent racial diversity.

The racial diversity of the faculty is above average.

Columbia Gender Ratio is Balanced

If you feel more comfortable on a campus with a nice mix of males and females, this may be the school for you.

At Columbia University in the City of New York, the disparity between men and women on campus is far lower than the national average. The undergraduate student body at Columbia is equally balanced.

This university is ranked at #485 in male to female diversity nationwide. The undergraduate population is comprised of 4,364 males and 3,852 females.

The male to female ratio at Columbia is excellent.

The ratio of male to female faculty at Columbia is excellent.

Campus Filled with Students From All Over the U.S.

Looking to attend a school where you can meet students from all over the United States and the world?

We've decided upon the geographic diversity of each school by looking at where students lived before they attended college.

About 24.4% of the students attending Columbia University in the City of New York come from within New York. This puts Columbia's level of geographic diversity far above the national average and gives it a national geographic diversity ranking of #39.

How Old is Everyone at This School?

Some students prefer a campus filled with others who are a similar age to them, while some prefer a wide age range of students. Which is best for you?

The traditional student is between the ages of 18-21. However, this university appears to attract a majority of older students. At Columbia University in the City of New York, 18.9% of students are in the age 18 to 21 bracket, compared to the national average of 60%. We rank Columbia #2,675 in the nation for student age diversity.

Questions About Diversity

• What do we mean when we talk about diversity in college?

  Often when we speak of diversity, which is defined as "variety", what we mean is multiculturalism, or the acceptance of people of different ethnicities, cultures, races, religions and financial backgrounds. Students who state that diversity in school is important to them are looking for institutions to provide a variety of curricular and non-curricular opportunities to learn from and learn with people of different ethnicities, races, ages, abilities, sexual identities, religions, and classes.

• Is Columbia supporting and attracting students from all backgrounds?

  Even a school with great ethnic, racial and geographic diversity may not be diverse when it comes to the economic backgrounds of their students. To get a better idea of how Columbia is supporting low-income students check the Financial Aid Page.

• Is Diversity Important to Columbia?

  Diversity can be promoted by the university in several ways. First, institutions should be making an effort to hire a varied faculty to teach students. But the school should also be doing the best they can to encourage substantial interaction between people from different backgrounds. This prevents students and faculty from self-segregating and encourages positive connections.