Columbia Business School: Everything You Need to Know

 

The tag line of Columbia Business School (CBS) is “at the very center of business,” a marketing pitch that fits the school very well. MBA candidates say CBS’s New York City location stands out—for the access students have to industry leaders, alumni, notable faculty drawn from the local community, and plentiful opportunities for in-semester internships and experiential learning.

As one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States, Columbia Business School typically draws approximately 7,000 applicants a year for its August- and January-entry programs, with an intended total class size of roughly 800–950 students. MBA candidates want to join the ranks of powerhouse alumni such as famed investor Warren Buffett (MS ’51) and modern-day start-up success Siggi Hilmarsson (MBA ’04), who founded the Siggi’s yogurt brand, now sold in supermarkets globally. Although Columbia Business School is best known for its finance program, more graduates entered the consulting field (36.3%) than financial services (35.7%) in 2023, and interest in technology has soared in recent years, with 10.8% of graduates entering the industry in 2023. The five companies that hired the most Columbia Business School graduates in 2023 were McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Amazon, and Mogan Stanley. Earning a spot in this competitive program requires time, effort, and preparation, and mbaMission offers several resources and services to help you on your application journey.

 

Columbia Business School Insider’s Guide

Columbia Business School Insider’s Guide

Our Columbia Business School Insider’s Guide takes an in-depth look at life as a CBS student. Informed by insights from students, alumni, program representatives, and MBA admissions officers, this robust guide offers detailed descriptions of the school’s location, class size, curriculum, teaching methods, facilities, alumni involvement, and rankings, as well as courses, faculty, and clubs related to the most common career paths for Columbia MBA program graduates. Learn more about CBS’s cluster system, core curriculum, Master Classes, and hybrid teaching method, in addition to the Leadership Lab, the Jerome A. Chazen Institute’s Global Immersion Program classes and Global Study Tours, the famed Value Investing Program, the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate, and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise. The Columbia MBA Program Insider’s Guide also discusses opportunities to bond with classmates via such things as CBS Follies and the Fall Ball.

Download for Free


Columbia Business School MBA Interview Guide

Columbia Business School MBA Interview Guide

Drawing on our extensive communications with Columbia MBA students, admissions officers, and alumni, and incorporating insights from our clients who have interviewed at the school, we at mbaMission have developed the Columbia Business School Interview Guide to help you prepare for this part of the MBA application process. This free interview guide shares details on what CBS hopes to gain through its invitation-only interviews, which are conducted primarily by alumni. The guide also includes Columbia Business School’s most common interview questions and themes, as well as our tips on how to prepare for and respond to these questions. Columbia MBA program interviewers want applicants to explain their career goals and why CBS is the right business school for them. Remember that the goal of a Columbia Business School interview is to determine whether the applicant will be a good fit for the MBA program—so you should focus on letting your true self shine during this conversation!

Download for Free

Columbia Business School Essay Analysis, 2024–2025

Columbia Business School (CBS) requires all its applicants to submit a short-answer goal statement of just 50 characters. In addition, January applicants must respond to a second short-answer question about why they have selected the alternative program start date, while August entry applicants are asked to describe their plans for the summer between the first and second year of the program. Both of these responses are limited to 50 characters, as well. All candidates must also provide three somewhat concise essays. Like the goal statement, CBS’s first essay prompt is about candidates’ career aspirations but focuses on the long term, and the additional length (500 words versus 50 characters) demands much more depth. For their second essay, applicants must discuss their active role in an inclusive experience, and for the third, they are asked to describe their vision for their time in the CBS MBA program and the role they anticipate playing in creating this experience. Together, by balancing professional aspirations with more personal, values- and character-based topics, the school’s essays should provide candidates with sufficient opportunity to provide a well-rounded impression of themselves as aspiring CBS MBAs.

In our MBA essay analysis, we provide in-depth guidance on each of Columbia Business School’s 2024–2025 essay questions:

  • Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
  • Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)
  • Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. Please respond to one of the [prompts] below. Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)
  • Essay 3: We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership – academically, culturally, and professionally. How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

Click here to read our analysis


Columbia Business School MBA Class Profile (Class of 2026)

MBA Applications Received 7,487
Enrolled 972, divided into 14 clusters
January-Entry Class Size 238, divided into four clusters
August-Entry Class Size 734, divided into ten clusters
GMAT Scores (Average) 732
GMAT Scores (Range) 600–780
GRE Verbal Score (Average) 162
GRE Verbal Score Range 146–170
GRE Quantitative Score (Average) 162
GRE Quantitative Score Range 143–170
Undergraduate GPA (Average) 3.6
Average Years of Work Experience 5
Women 44%
Minority of U.S. Origin 44%
International Citizens 46%

Columbia Business School MBA Rankings

The 2023 Poets&Quants national ranking placed the Columbia MBA program at number four, and Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the school fifth domestically in 2023–2024. In the 2023 Financial Times rankings, Columbia Business School was ranked second in the United States and third internationally. In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report survey, the school tied with Michigan Ross and Duke Fuqua at 12th place and was ranked within the top five in the following specialty areas: real estate, executive MBA, finance, and international.

Columbia Business School MBA 2024 Acceptance Rate

The Columbia MBA program boasts an acceptance rate of approximately 19%, making it highly selective. This prestigious program attracts ambitious and driven individuals from around the globe, eager to join a community of leaders and innovators. With its rigorous application process, Columbia seeks candidates who not only demonstrate academic excellence but also possess a unique blend of leadership potential, professional achievements, and a commitment to making a positive impact in their industries.

For prospective MBA students, understanding Columbia’s competitive acceptance rate is crucial in preparing a standout application. Aspiring applicants are encouraged to highlight their distinct experiences, articulate their career goals with clarity, and showcase how they align with Columbia’s values and vision. By doing so, candidates increase their chances of joining this elite cohort and gaining access to unparalleled resources, a powerful alumni network, and transformative career opportunities.

Columbia Business School MBA Deadlines (2024–2025 Application Season)

January Term Round 1
June 18, 2024

January Term Round 2
September 5, 2024

Round 1
September 10, 2024

Round 2
January 7, 2025

Round 3
April 5, 2025

mbaMission Testimonials from Columbia Business School Applicants

Incredibly Helpful!

Rachel [Beck] immediately connected with my story, and unlike several other consultants I had spoken with, she was optimistic about my credentials. Rachel’s process is thorough—she requests a ton of information up front to better understand the candidate’s background, and she is masterful at synthesizing that information into a compelling application tailored for each program. Additionally, her superior knowledge of the CBS admissions process was invaluable for crafting an application that would ultimately resonate with the admissions committee. I was admitted to CBS, and I am forever grateful to Rachel for helping me achieve that outcome.

Susan is Awesome

Susan’s [Kaplan] knowledge about CBS and its values and criteria shaped the way I approached my application and essays—and she has the same knowledge for any school you apply to. I can’t understate how important this is. Every call, despite my hours of research online, she would bring up several points that would improve my application and essay for CBS specifically and that only someone with her experience could know.

Highly Recommend Melissa Merchant!

When I first started the MBA application process, I doubted whether my profile was competitive enough to get in to a top school. Melissa [Merchant] helped me identify and capitalize on the unique stories and experiences from my background, helping me craft applications where I could highlight my strengths and mitigate my weaknesses. I thought I knew what I wanted to write in my essays, but Melissa helped fine-tune my ideas and pointed out experiences that she felt were unique which I wasn’t considering before. She’s also a skilled editor—I tend to be a verbose writer, and Melissa easily cut 200+ words from my essays while still maintaining the content and emotions of my story. Additionally, she is an incredible mentor and cheerleader, answering my questions candidly but compassionately and reassuring me when I was overwhelmed or anxious about the process.
Explore onTrack — mbaMission’s newest offering allowing you to learn at your own pace through video. Learn more