Columbia Business School - Acceptance Rate, Ranking, Fees

Columbia Business School, also known as CBS, is the Business School of Columbia University, which is situated in New York.

CBS was established in 1916 as a private research university with the help of generous funding from Emerson McMillan. This B-School enjoys the privilege of being an Ivy League business school, which is also one of the oldest in the world. The Columbia Business School has three campuses: Manhattanville Campus – Kravis Hall, Manhattanville Campus – David Geffen Hall, and Morningside Heights – Uris Hall, which is also the oldest campus of CBS. The new campus of this B-school, is Manhattanville Ville Campus – David Geffen Hall, is spread across two buildings covering an area of approximately 492,000 square feet of academic and administrative space. These buildings were designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Collaborative, and AARRIS ATEPA Architects.

In the year 2010, CBS received the largest donation for the construction of the buildings from Henry Kravis, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm KKR. The donation was a whopping sum of USD 100 million, and in the year 2012, Ronald Perelman also donated USD 100 million to CBS. As a nice gesture, these two newly built buildings on the campus were named after these donors.

A huge variety of Business and Management programs are offered at CBS, including Undergraduate degrees, MBA, MBA dual degree, MS, and many other interdisciplinary programs as well. The Columbia Business School Management programs are ranked #9 in the list of the best 133 Business Schools around the world by US News and World Report 2025, which is significant in choosing to study at CBS.

Columbia Business School placement rate in 2024 for their MBA graduates stands at 89%, with an average median package of USD 175,000 or INR 1.45 Cr annually acquiring a salary range of USD 52,700 to USD 400,000 (INR 41.64 L to INR 2.57 Cr) across various companies and industries. The average CBS MBA class size is 782, with a full-time faculty of 152, which makes it a quite favorable pointer for a student who is concerned about getting proper attention. The student-to-faculty ratio is 1:5.14, meaning for every 5 to 6 students, there is 1 faculty available at this B-School.

This B-School has a separate Diversity, Community, and Inclusion committee, which is an initiative to promote cultural diversity and to make learning inclusive for students from different walks of life.

(USD 1 = INR 86.85)

Things to Know about Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School takes pride in its alumni network, which is 48,000 scattered all over the world in diverse industries and companies. The top companies that the MBA graduates of CBS get placed in are McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, etc. CBS received 7,847 applications for the class of 2024, out of which 972 applicants rolled out an offer letter.

Here are some more highlights for The Columbia Business School:

(USD 1 = INR 86.85)

Columbia Business School is focused on inclusion and making the world a better place where everyone gets equal opportunities to learn and grow with their Business and Management programs. This is what the Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2026 looks like:

According to the official website, out of the entire MBA class profile 2026, 46% of the students are International, indicating their commitment towards inclusion.

Business professionals from all over the world, coming from different fields, are admitted to the Master of Business Administration program offered by Columbia Business School.

Below are the detailed Pre-MBA Industries details of the students enrolled at Columbia Business School for the MBA class 2026:

Out of all the MBA graduates in 2024 given by The Columbia Business School, 89% received an offer letter from various top companies hiring within a year of graduation.

Admissions at Columbia Business School are done on the basis of semesters, and those semesters for the various courses are Fall, Spring, and Summer.

There are three types of courses for EMBA, based on the availability of the candidate. All of these courses have different deadlines that are mentioned below:

Columbia Business School Undergraduate Management Programs Application deadlines 2025:

The Columbia Business School MBA acceptance rate for the class that entered in 2024 was 8.07% which makes it a very difficult university to get into.

However, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the following requirements:

Columbia Business School MBA Requirements as an International Student:

• A four-year Bachelor’s Degree from an Accredited university
• Scanned copies of all the Academic Records
• English proficiency test scores (IELTS/TOEFL, PTE/Duolingo English Test)
• An online application
• Letters of recommendation (Submit at least 2, with one being from a current supervisor or manager)
• Work experience of a minimum of 2 years (Preferred)
• Essay
• Standardized entrance test scores (GMAT/GRE)

Columbia Business School MS admissions requirements as an International student:

• Official transcripts
• English proficiency test scores (IELTS/TOEFL) (If applicable)
• An online application
• Letters of recommendation (At least 2, from superiors who can assess the qualitative skills of the candidate)
• Standardized tests (GMAT/GRE)
• Statement of purpose
• Certification of finances
• Essay
• Resume/CV

Columbia Business School Admission Process 2025:

Step 1-Choose a program

Step 2- Fill out the application form via the official portal of the university.

Step 3-Pay application fee: Students must pay USD 250 (INR 23,213) for the MBA and EMBA programs.

Step 4-Wait for a response:

Step 5-Pay tuition fees: To get enrolled in the first semester, international students have to pay a non-refundable security fee, which differs depending on the program. For a full-time MBA, a student has to pay

• January (Round 1 and Round 2): Deposit 1 is USD 2,000(INR 1.68 L) and Deposit 2 is USD 1,000 (INR 84 K)
• August Round 1: Deposit 1 is USD 6,000 (INR 5.06 L) and Deposit 2 is USD 1,000 (INR (INR 84 K)
• August Round 3: Deposit 2 is USD 3,000 (INR 2.53 L)

EMBA: Round 1 admits must submit a USD 6,000 (INR 5.06 L) deposit within two weeks of admission

(USD 1 = INR 86.76)

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia Business School takes pride in its location, as this location allows CBS students to attend networking events, hop on a subway and meet their dream companies, collaborate on projects at Silicon Alley, and home to a lot of internships.

The B-school offers its students to collaborate and engage with its Diversity Inclusion initiative. The campus is very student-friendly as it offers numerous opportunities for them to hone their leadership skills. There are 80 student-led clubs present at Columbus, ranging from professional to cultural to recreational, allowing the students the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and lead.

The campus has three Buildings, with Manhattanville-Kravis Hall and Manhattanville Geffen Hall, which encompass an area of 492,000 square feet, which is almost double that of Uris Hall, the oldest building of the B-school. The area is well-connected to public parks, retail amenities, Indian restaurants, and resources to help small businesses in the neighborhood.

Student life is a balanced mix of academic excellence and co-curricular activities. For gym enthusiasts, Dodge Fitness Centre is available to all CBS students at no additional cost.

To take care of international students, the B-School has a dedicated International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).