Alma Mater

Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King’s College under royal charter from King George II, making us the 5th oldest college in the United States. Our first campus was located in lower Manhattan near City Hall and started out with just eight students. Columbia has always been in the vanguard with our educational opportunities - we were the first institution to teach political science and history, and the first American medical school to grant the M.D. degree.

From its inception, Columbia has educated leaders and visionaries within a multitude of different fields, including: Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury (maybe you’ve heard of him from his smash Broadway musical?), John Jay, Franklin Roosevelt, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Georgia O'Keeffe, and many more!

Welcome to Columbia University in the City of New York. Specifically, the island of Manhattan, which means island of many hills in the language of the Lenni Lenape people. We recognize that Manhattan is part of the ancestral and traditional homeland of the Lenni Lenape and Wappinger people who are still active members of our community throughout New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research, and at the same time is a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis.