Columbia University and Borough of Manhattan Community College Formalize Groundbreaking Partnership
The NYC Scholars Program creates a supportive pathway from BMCC to Columbia, advancing access and mobility to some of New York City’s highest-achieving community college students.
On April 29, 2026, Columbia University and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) formally marked a significant expansion of educational access in New York City with a signing ceremony establishing the BMCC–Columbia NYC Scholars Program.
Held in the historic Low Library on Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus, the event brought together institutional leaders, including Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman ’86CC, ’94SIPA; BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe ’03PH, ’07TC; and Columbia School of General Studies (GS) Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch ’90GS, to commemorate the groundbreaking partnership.
Launched in 2024, The NYC Scholars Program creates a clear pathway for high-achieving BMCC students to complete their associate’s degrees and seamlessly transition to Columbia GS for their bachelor’s. During their second year at BMCC, students are dually enrolled at both institutions, receiving coordinated advising to support a smooth academic progression.
In her remarks, Acting President Shipman emphasized the broader significance of the program. “This is what institutional commitment looks like—not just talking about access but investing in it,” she said. “Our School of General Studies has been a leader on this for decades—dedicated to finding and supporting exceptional undergraduate students at all phases of their lives.”
Building on that commitment, she highlighted the program’s long-term potential: “We hope this program creates a model of educational access and mobility in New York City, one that can be replicated with other partners and perhaps even by our peers. We are so very proud of what this partnership represents today.”
This vision is reflected in the structure of the NYC Scholars Program itself. It fosters a strong, supportive community that uplifts students with nontraditional backgrounds from across the five boroughs, advancing a shared commitment to lift longstanding barriers to higher education and redefining what access to education looks like. The program is “more than an agreement between two institutions,” said President Munroe. It’s “a bridge” grounded in the belief that opportunity “should not be reserved for a privileged few but accessible to all who are ready to work and learn and lead.”
This partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between GS and BMCC, spanning more than 25 years. Today, BMCC is the largest feeder school to GS, a reflection of the success BMCC students have found at Columbia. Dean Rosen-Metsch emphasized the alignment between the program and the School’s mission: “GS is the right home for this work because, for generations, it has served students whose academic journeys have not been linear or traditional. We know that talent does not arrive in only one form, or on only one timeline.”
This is what institutional commitment looks like—not just talking about access but investing in it.
Currently, there are 15 students enrolled in the program—10 at Columbia and five at BMCC—with the first graduate, Ime Ekpo ‘26GS, set to complete her studies in May 2026. All these students, leaders noted, exemplify the ambition, resilience, and sense of purpose the program seeks to support.
Their success reflects not only the strength of the partnership, but also the broader institutional investment that makes such pathways possible. The program builds on Columbia University’s $30 million commitment to financial aid for GS students, with a focus on transfer students from New York City’s community colleges. Announced in Fall 2024 by Amy Hungerford, Dean and Executive Vice President of Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Columbia, and Dean Rosen-Metsch, this commitment of support from the University has helped GS students overcome financial hurdles while strengthening student community and the School’s philanthropic efforts.
Looking ahead, President Munroe underscored the program’s long-term significance, that today’s signing event was “not the end, but the beginning,” describing the program as “a model for what higher education can be when we choose collaboration over competition, access over exclusion, and hope over hesitation.” The NYC Scholars Program serves a defining example of how institutions can come together to expand access, unlock students’ potential, and continue to shape the future of higher education.