Columbia University Advances Commitment to Financial Aid for High-Need Undergraduates

Columbia University and the Columbia School of General Studies (GS) have announced a $30 million investment from the University to support enhancements to financial aid for highest-need GS students and initiated planning for a dedicated residential building for the School. This new multi-year investment for GS endowed funds commenced in the summer of 2024, and is another step of the initiative Columbia began in 2021 to amplify investment in financial aid across the University’s schools. This tranche of the University’s program will include matching funds for an alumni fundraising initiative to support General Studies students.

Announced earlier today by Amy Hungerford, Dean and Executive Vice President of Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean of the School of General Studies, this commitment of support from Columbia will provide immediate impact, helping GS students overcome financial hurdles while strengthening student community and the School’s philanthropic efforts. Supporting GS students is critical to their success and vital to Columbia’s mission to create an academic environment for teaching, learning and research where everyone can thrive. These investments come hand in hand with a new pipeline program that will benefit New York City’s talented community college students.

"One of the most crucial needs of GS students right now is financial aid. With the University's support, we can immediately help many of our students overcome one of the biggest hurdles they face when starting their Columbia education," said Rosen-Metsch.

“GS students are smart, ambitious, and bring unique experiences shaped by their nontraditional educational and career paths,” said Amy E. Hungerford, Dean and Executive Vice President of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “This major investment of resources reflects our unwavering commitment to supporting their educational journey at Columbia while allowing even more deserving students to access the unique educational opportunities that the School of General Studies provides.”

Over the next three years, and beginning with an initial investment in the summer of 2024, $30 million will be added to the School’s endowment to enhance financial aid for GS students, particularly those with the highest needs, who often transfer to Columbia from community college. Over 25% of transfer students at GS come from New York City. A key initiative funded by this expansion is the BMCC - Columbia NYC Scholars program, a new partnership with Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), one of the most diverse two-year schools in the United States. This program will allow GS to more fully support future BMCC transfer applicants, making a Columbia education even more accessible to New York City’s highest-performing community college students.

“Education is a powerful tool, and with this generous investment, you are not only investing in the futures of our students but also in the fabric of our community,” said BMCC’s President Anthony Munroe.

This investment in financial aid will provide matching funds for gifts to endowment, and build on a $60 million investment made in 2021 by the University to provide matching funds in support of financial aid across a number of Columbia’s schools. This is an important element of Columbia’s Student Support Initiative, which has targeted a fundraising goal of $1.4 billion in financial aid across the University.

In addition to financial aid, the School announced new planning in another area critical to GS students: housing. Over the next two years, GS will initiate planning for a new residential living project designed with GS students in mind, marking a significant milestone as the first-ever dedicated GS residential hall. Columbia Trustee and GS alumna Kikka Hanazawa will lead a fundraising initiative to raise $20 million from alumni and donors, complementing a significant University investment in the planning phase.

For 77 years, GS has been a beacon of innovation in higher education, uniquely positioned as the only college of its kind dedicated to providing access to an Ivy League education for students who have pursued nontraditional paths. GS’s student body—which includes veterans, entrepreneurs, athletes, community college transfer students, dancers, first-generation college students, and more—enriches discussions and broadens perspectives in Columbia’s classrooms. The investment announced today is a vital step to ensure that GS students have the support they need to thrive at Columbia and beyond.

See below for the full announcement.

Dear members of the Columbia GS community,

We are very pleased to share exciting news about the future of the Columbia University School of General Studies (GS). Beginning with an investment in the summer of 2024, the University has initiated a multi-year plan to provide $30 million in new funds to support enhancements to GS financial aid and has also commenced plans for dedicated housing for GS students. This significant support will help our GS students overcome financial hurdles while building new momentum and focus for our philanthropic efforts in both of these areas to support our GS community. This commitment will build on a $60 million investment made in 2021 by the University to provide matching funds in support of financial aid across several of Columbia’s schools.

The $30 million of new funding will be added to the General Studies endowment over a three-year period to enhance financial aid for GS students, including support for our highest needs students. The form of this support will provide essential matching funds that will inspire future donors, offer them the ability to maximize their donations, and create incredible momentum for Columbia GS to continue to raise funds to support GS students. Importantly, this expansion of financial aid will allow us to launch the NYC Scholars program, a new pipeline program with the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). Many current GS students arrive at Columbia after having studied at BMCC, one of the most diverse two-year schools in the United States. The NYC Scholars program will allow us to more fully support BMCC transfer applicants in the future, making a Columbia education accessible to even more of New York City’s highest-performing community college students. We plan to further expand the NYC Scholars program over time, adding other NYC community colleges that only award associate’s degrees. More details about this exciting initiative will be shared in the coming weeks and months.

In addition to this investment in General Studies financial aid, we have begun a detailed planning effort focused on housing opportunities for GS students. Over the next two years, GS will initiate a new residential living project designed specifically with GS students in mind. We look forward to sharing more details about this exciting development in the coming months. We are grateful to all who made this possible, especially Kikka Hanazawa ’GS00, a Columbia Trustee, who will help lead an initiative to raise $20 million dollars from alumni and donors, complementing significant University and Arts & Sciences investments in the planning phase.

While these investments do not mark the end of our commitment to supporting our amazing General Studies students, they are an essential step in ensuring the access to elite higher education that GS provides to so many talented students. For the last 77 years, GS has evolved, adapted, and thrived, offering Columbia a unique position in higher education with the only college of its kind dedicated to incorporating into our undergraduate community and classrooms students who have taken a nontraditional path to higher education, be they veterans, entrepreneurs, athletes, parents, artists, performers, community college transfer students, first-generation college students, or students pursuing an innovative, international dual degree educational experience. GS students enrich discussions and broaden perspectives in Columbia’s classrooms -- and supporting them is critical for their and the University’s success.

A wide range of leaders at Columbia University -- including former presidents Bollinger and Shafik, interim President Armstrong, the Board of Trustees, the General Studies Board of Visitors, and our GS student leaders -- have played an important role in helping GS achieve so much already. With this step, and those to come, GS and Columbia will continue to reach new heights.

Sincerely,

Lisa Rosen-Metsch
Dean, Columbia University School of General Studies
Professor of Sociomedical Sciences

Amy Hungerford
Dean and Executive Vice President
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Ruth Fulton Benedict Professor of English and Comparative Literature