Applicants are only eligible for admission if they have taken a break of a year or more in their educational paths at some point in the past or have a compelling reason for which they can only attend Columbia as a part-time student.
Students who have previously earned a bachelor's degree may earn a second bachelor's degree at GS as long as the degree sought is different from the first one earned.
Students who have previous college credit from other institutions are eligible to receive in transfer up to 60 credits toward the 124 points required for graduation. Admitted students are eligible for transfer credit only from the institutions listed on the application for admission at the time the application is submitted to the GS Office of Admissions (all previous institutions attended must be listed on the application). For more information on specific coursework, please visit the Transfer Students page.
Candidates are not permitted to apply simultaneously to both the School of General Studies and any other undergraduate division of Columbia University, such as Columbia College (CC) or the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Furthermore, individuals who have applied to any of these divisions within the last three years and were not accepted are ineligible to apply to the School of General Studies. Applicants who have been denied from GS three times must wait three years from the time of the last application to submit a new application to GS.
