Columbia University

The Columbia University's history goes as far back as 1754, when a royal charter issued by Great Britain's then King George II led to the establishment of an all-male college: King's College.

Samuel Johnson in a schoolhouse located close to the Trinity Church, in lower Manhattan, took the first ever classes at the institute, as the first Columbia University president. The institute continued its expansion over the following decades with The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, being established in 1880 and 1881, respectively.

The Student Army Training Corps were established during the first world war in 1917, with Columbia SIPA being found in 1946.

Today, Columbia stands among the top 10 universities in USA and among the best universities in the world.

Jul 24, 2025: The Columbia University has come to an agreement with the Donald Trump administration to pay $200m as compensation, over accusations, that the university failed to protect its Jewish students, from harassment by pro-palestinian students on campus, as they demonstrated their support for Gaza, in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

This comes after Trump decided to freeze federal funding to Columbia worth $400m, back in March.

How does it affects Indian students at Columbia?  

The US Government has announced to release some of the federal grants it had paused back in March, bringing some respite for all members of the Columbia community, as the university can now invest the same to support financial aids, faculty and research activity, departments, institutes and centers.