Convocation Celebrates the Experiences that Strengthen the GS Community
GS welcomed more than 740 new students, celebrating the unique paths and shared purpose that define its community.
Columbia GS welcomed more than 740 new students at GS Convocation on Monday, August 31, while celebrating its enduring commitment to access, educational equity, and community.
Columbia University President Jennifer L. Mnookin, alongside numerous GS Deans, University leadership, and GS student and alumni leaders, addressed the incoming cohort, emphasizing the importance of the nontraditional paths they took to Columbia and how those experiences will deepen the academic journey ahead.
As the School looks toward its 80th anniversary this academic year, Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch spoke about some of the core principles that have guided GS for the last eight decades: access and educational equity.
“We believe that a truly excellent education welcomes every kind of life experience into the classroom,” she said. “Since our founding 80 years ago, GS students have shattered outdated notions of who belongs at the world's leading universities. You have redefined the very idea of what a college path looks like, and in doing so, you have redefined Columbia itself.”
She also encouraged students to make connections across GS and the University communities and to embrace their diverse, nontraditional backgrounds as they head into the new school year.
Since our founding 80 years ago, GS students have shattered outdated notions of who belongs at the world's leading universities. You have redefined the very idea of what a college path looks like.
“As GS students, you understand better than most the unpredictable nature of life and the value of every twist and turn,” said Dean Rosen-Metsch. “You are now part of a unique and vibrant community, one that values lived experience, resilience, intellectual seriousness, and the pursuit of knowledge. The bonds you form with your peers will be a vital part of your Columbia experience.”
In addressing the incoming class at her first GS Convocation Ceremony, President Mnookin spoke about what a remarkable school GS is. In fact, her cousin is a GS alum! “It is an incredible place, where people with markedly different experiences come together—each finding their path to this Columbia undergraduate education on their own time and in their own way,” she said. “This may be one of the most diverse communities you’ll ever be a part of.”
Recognizing the mix of emotions that can come with the beginning of a new academic journey, President Mnookin encouraged students to embrace them all and channel them into the experience ahead. “Allow them to fuel your own intellectual aspirations. Use them to aim high, and to help you hone your questions and broaden your curiosity across the full spectrum of human inquiry.”
Following President Mnookin’s address, students and guests heard from Professor Amy Hungerford, the Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of the Arts & Sciences; Marlyn Delva, GS Dean of Students; James Colgrove, Dean of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program; Christopher Riano '07GS, member of the GS Board of Visitors; and William Luo ‘28GS, GSSC Student Body President.
The ceremony reinforced the themes Dean Rosen-Metsch highlighted for the academic year ahead: kindness, curiosity, and community, and new this year, connection, which recognizes the relationships that bring each of those themes to life. And as she reminded the newest GSers, collectively their experiences are the essence of GS: “Each of you brings your own GS story, and together those stories strengthen a community defined not by sameness, but by shared purpose and the willingness to connect across differences.”
Fall 2026 Incoming Class by the Numbers
Enrollment*
Undergraduate: 487
Postbac Premed: 61
GS-JTS Joint Program: 32
Dual BA Program with Sciences Po: 84
Dual Degree Program with Trinity College Dublin: 49
Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program with City University of Hong Kong: 17
Dual Degree Program with Tel Aviv University: 19
Undergraduate Demographics
31% of incoming domestic students are eligible for a Pell Grant**
37% of incoming students are international students
29% of incoming students are veterans of U.S. and foreign military
158 incoming students are first-generation college students
27 incoming students are pursuing their second Bachelor’s degree
Age Range: 17-70
Students who are married: 39
Students with children: 16
U.S. residents hail from 30 states
Countries represented: 80
*Third-year students in the international dual degree programs who have completed two years of coursework abroad are also beginning their studies at Columbia.
**International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, including Pell Grants
Note: Statistics and counts as of September 2, 2026