Getting Started 2023

You should be able to set up and activate your UNI (University Network ID) approximately one to two weeks after your deposit has been processed by the School of the Arts Admissions Office. Once your UNI is activated, you will be able to use your Columbia email. You should begin checking your Columbia email immediately and on a regular basis, as this is the School’s official means of communication with all students.

To activate your UNI

1. Proceed to the following website: http://cuit.columbia.edu/cuit/manage-my-uni. Click  “Activate UNI or email.”
2. Accept the “Computer Network and Use” policy 
3. Accept the “Your Responsibility on the Columbia Network” policy
4. You will then be directed to a page asking that you enter your UNI. On this page, click next to “Don’t know your UNI” to begin the UNI activation process; then follow the instructions from there.

If you are considering Columbia housing, we recommend you apply as soon as possible.

Columbia has a limited supply of graduate student housing. Therefore, not all students who apply will receive an allocation. Columbia-owned housing is managed by Columbia Residential. Columbia Residential inventory consists of apartment shares and dormitory-style rooms, with a limited number of studio/efficiency, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. While most student housing is located within walking distance of campus, some is accessible by public transportation. Students who apply for Columbia housing but do not receive an allocation will be placed on a waitlist. Additional information regarding Columbia Residential’s Waitlist process can be found here: https://residential.columbia.edu/content/students/waitlist

To apply for Columbia housing, visit https://residential.columbia.edu/content/students/apply.

A few important hints about University housing: 

• Housing approval decisions happen between March 1 and June 8. Students approved for housing will receive self-selection appointment information directly from Columbia Residential. Additional information regarding the self-selection process can be found here: https://residential.columbia.edu/students/housingselection.The waitlist opens on July 15, 2023. (Note that the required New Student Orientation Week begins Monday, August 28, 2023). 
• If you decline the offer, or if you do not make the required reservation fee payment of $750 before the expiration date indicated in the offer, the offer will expire and the unit will be reassigned. If, at a later date, you want University housing, you will need to reapply and will likely be placed on the waitlist.
• If you decline housing after paying the reservation fee, you can get a refund so long as you cancel housing before June 30. After June 30 you will not get a refund.
• You may retract your housing application at any time. 
• If you have questions regarding housing availability, waitlists, or assignments, please visit the Columbia Residential website at https://residential.columbia.edu/content/students or contact Columbia Residential directly at [email protected].

All incoming International Students should visit the ISSO website to review the section on Getting Started.

If you need an F-1 student visa, you will need to apply for an I-20 issued by Columbia’s International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO). You will then use the I-20 to apply for an F-1 visa. 

Watch ISSO’s video on how to get a visa. 

You will need to: 

1. Prepare your documents (Supporting Documents needed for I-20 application)
2. Login to Compass to apply for your I-20 (AFTER accepting your admissions offer)
3. Receive your I-20 via email as a PDF 
4. Apply for your visa at a U.S. consulate/embassy outside the U.S. 

If you have any questions regarding the I-20 and visa application process, please contact the ISSO at [email protected] directly without cc-ing any other email addresses.

Some important things to consider:

• Columbia’s International Students and Scholars Office requires all incoming students to provide proof of ability to fund their education.
• Funding sources for international students are extremely limited. Therefore, it is critical that international students arrive with a plan in place to fund the entire length of their program, not just the first year. Tuition and fees can be found at https://arts.columbia.edu/tuition. Costs for the 2023–2024 academic year will be posted as soon as they are finalized.
• While the School of the Arts offers some fellowship support based upon a combination of merit and need, such funding is not guaranteed and, if granted, would likely not be applied during the Research Arts years.
• While loans to international students by U.S. lenders are available, the vast majority require a co-signer who is a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident. For more information, visit https://www.sfs.columbia.edu/financial-aid-international-students.
• A per-semester monthly tuition payment plan is available. Information about the Payment Plan can be found at https://sfs.columbia.edu/pay-plan. There is also a single prepayment option available. Information on this plan can be found at https://sfs.columbia.edu/content/single-prepayment-plan.

Columbia University School of the Arts and the Office of Student Financial Planning can work with you to arrange the financing of your degree. Institutional scholarships, federal aid (including federal work-study and federal loans), and other options are available for eligible students. 

Some important resources to help answer your financial questions: 

The School of the Arts’ Financing Your Degree Page 
https://arts.columbia.edu/tuition  

This is the School’s specific website that describes the types of financing available. 

Columbia’s Office of Student Financial Services 
https://sfs.columbia.edu  

This comprehensive website covers topics like: 

• Payment Options (including the monthly Payment Plan through Nelnet)
• Graduate Institutional Aid
• Graduate Federal Aid (including information about loans and federal work-study)
• Graduate Private Loans
• Loan Repayment
• International Student Loan Information 

The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Website 
https://studentaid.ed.gov  

This website is geared toward U.S. citizens and permanent residents and provides comprehensive information regarding the types of graduate loans available, application instructions, repayment options, and other helpful topics.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or “FAFSA” 
https://fafsa.ed.gov  

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have not yet completed this important application must file this form if they wish to be considered for federal aid. Columbia’s School Code is 002707. U.S. citizens and permanent residents who wish to be considered for one or more of the School’s “service positions” should also complete this form as soon as possible. 

SOA Financial Aid Application 
https://apply.arts.columbia.edu/apply  

Priority for institutional aid will be given to students who submitted a School of the Arts Financial Aid Application by the February 1, 2023 deadline.

Students may contact the Financial Aid Office at [email protected].

Your offer of admission is provisional until we receive a final, official transcript, showing the conferral of your undergraduate degree. 

All students who have attended schools in the U.S. must have electronic transcripts submitted directly from their school, or from the vendor that provides that service for their school, to [email protected]. If the school does not offer electronic delivery, applicants must write to [email protected] and provide the link to their institution’s webpage concerning transcript orders. 

Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/admissions/graduate for more information regarding official transcripts. We must receive your final transcript no later than June 30, 2023.

If you are not exempt from submitting a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score, and we have not received proof of a score of at least 100 on the TOEFL, or 7.5 on the IELTS, or 120 on the Duolingo English test, your offer of admission will be provisional until we receive proof of a sufficient score. 

We must receive your score no later than June 30, 2023.

Disability Services supports all types of conditions including physical and learning disabilities, temporary injuries, and chronic illnesses. If you have a condition that may require accommodation, please contact Disability Services as early as possible, as the review process does not begin until your completed registration form and your disability documentation are received. The review process takes approximately three weeks. 

Contact Information
https://www.health.columbia.edu/services/register-disability-services
Voice/TTY: (212) 854-2388
Fax: (212) 854-3448
Email: [email protected]

Disability Access Map of Morningside Campus: https://health.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Docs/Columbia%20Univ_Morningside_Accessibility%20Map_05-2019.pdf

Mandatory Orientation Week begins Monday, August 28, 2023. Classes begin Tuesday, September 5, 2023. You will receive more information about Orientation, as well as course and registration information, from your Program and Student Affairs this summer. 

For a full 2023-2024 Academic Calendar, visit the Office of the University Registrar's website.

Please notify Student Affairs at (212) 851-0248 or [email protected], for questions or if your email and/or mailing address change at any point over the summer.