APPLICATION MATERIALS
1. Completed online application form with $95.00 nonrefundable application fee.
You must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at apply@sps.columbia.edu.
2. Transcripts
You are required to disclose and provide official academic transcripts for all post-secondary academic study completed and in progress. This includes individual courses for academic credit, certifications, certificates, transfer coursework, study abroad, second bachelor’s degrees, and advanced degrees. All institutions attended must be listed in the Enrollment History section of the online application.
Instructions for Submission of Transcripts When Applying
Applicants should upload a transcript (unofficial transcripts are permissible) of any academic work from each university-level institution you have attended for use in review of your application. Falsification, forgery, and misrepresentation of any type, will risk forfeiture of admissions and/or enrollment. Forfeiture may occur whenever an integrity lapse is discovered, and may include admissions revocation, expulsion, or another sanction outlined within the Standards of Campus Discipline.
If your post-secondary credentials are from an institution outside the United States, the Office of Admissions also requires you to submit all post-secondary credentials (undergraduate and graduate) to World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third-party verification agency for a course-by-course evaluation for admission consideration.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on institutions of higher education,
adjustments to our WES requirements have been made. Applicants who attended
an institution outside of the United States will not be required to submit
official World Education Services (WES) course-by-course evaluations in
order to be evaluated for admission.
Applicants must upload an unofficial transcript from each institution
attended for use in review of your application, as well as any degree
certificates. For Indian universities, this includes all semester mark
sheets. If your university provides transcripts in a language other than
English, both the original language document and English translation are
required. If admitted, you will be required to provide official WES
course-by-course evaluations (international coursework) for all
post-secondary academic coursework and credentials. Applicants for the
Spring 2021 semester must provide official WES course-by-course evaluations
by no later than December 21, 2020. We recommend starting the WES
course-by-course evaluation process as soon as possible so that you are
able to meet this deadline.
Falsification, forgery, and misrepresentation of any type will risk
forfeiture of admissions and/or enrollment. Forfeiture may occur whenever
an integrity lapse is discovered, and may include admissions revocation,
expulsion, or another sanction outlined within the Student Conduct and
Community Standards <https://studentconduct.columbia.edu/>. Applicants
would not be entitled to request any refund of the application fee,
enrollment deposit or tuition in the case that the official transcript
deviates from the unofficial.
Instructions for using WES
WES must complete a course-by-course evaluation of all post-secondary credentials. Please select the WES basic course-by-course evaluation (with GPA and course-levels) and request to have WES send your evaluation to Columbia University School of Professional Studies. The school can be found by searching Columbia University and then selecting School of Professional Studies. The evaluation provided to the School of Professional Studies becomes an official academic record and sole property of the School of Professional Studies upon its receipt.
WES evaluations will be reviewed by the School of Professional Studies administrators and the determination of degree equivalency to U.S. degrees is at the discretion of the School of Professional Studies.
Instructions for Submission of Transcripts When Accepting an Offer of Admission
All students who have attended a college or university in the United States must submit electronic transcripts directly from their school or via the vendor that provides that service for their institution to transcripts@sps.columbia.edu.
If a school does not offer electronic delivery, you must write to transcripts@sps.columbia.edu to provide us with the link to your institution's webpage concerning transcript orders. After verification, we will respond with further instructions.
If your post-secondary credentials are from an institution outside the United States, and you have completed additional coursework since the initial WES evaluation was provided, you must request an updated report and have WES send your course-by-course evaluation to Columbia University School of Professional Studies.
3. Résumé
4. Statement of Academic Purpose (500 – 750 words) that addresses the following:
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your purpose and interest in pursuing a degree or certificate in sustainability management
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how the degree or certificate program fits into your overall professional growth, focusing in particular on the connection between the program and your academic and/or professional experience
5. Two Letters of Recommendation
These letters should be written by current or former supervisors or by faculty members with whom you have studied, that address your suitability for the program and your ability to commit to the rigorous curriculum. We strongly recommend that all applicants submit at least one academic reference. Applicants who have received their bachelor’s degree within the last five years must submit at least one recommendation from a teacher who can comment on your academic aptitude.
Applicants must list recommenders and their contact information within the online application. Please provide your recommender’s professional email address and note that your recommender will receive an email requesting the recommendation upon your completion of the recommendation section of the application. Your recommender will be asked to log into the online application system, answer a few questions, and upload a letter of recommendation typed on professional letterhead. Recommendations must be submitted within the online application system. We strongly suggest notifying your recommender of these requirements prior to entering their information into the application system. You have the ability within the application system to re-notify your recommender of the request, and change your recommender if necessary. Apart from the initial notification sent through the application system, applicants are responsible for notifying and reminding the recommender about the request.
Recommendations must be submitted through the application system and by the recommender directly. Applicants who have uploaded their own recommendation letters are not admissible.
Information to Share with your Recommenders
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Before adding their information to the application, please contact your recommenders and inform them that they will receive an email from apply@sps.columbia.edu that will provide instructions regarding their letters. They may wish to add apply@sps.columbia.edu to their address book or list of contacts to ensure that the message is routed to their inbox.
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Ensure your recommender is aware that they will be asked to complete a brief evaluation form within the application system and upload a letter of recommendation on letterhead (whenever possible). Both components are necessary to fulfill the requirement and must be provided within the application system. We will not accept letters sent via email or post mail.
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Inform your recommender that they should expect to be contacted by a third party verification provider, Re Vera Services, who will reach out to them via email to confirm that they supplied the recommendation.
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We strongly suggest you give your recommender a timeline for providing the recommendation and that you proactively follow-up with them until the letter is submitted.
6. Demonstration of English Proficiency
7. Video Essay
Spring 2020 applicants and beyond will be required to submit a 1-minute video essay. Once the application and fee are submitted, the video essay section will become available. You will be given time to create test videos to ensure that your system is working properly. When you are ready, you will be given a randomly selected prompt for which you will have one minute to prepare and one minute to record a response.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Spring 2021
November 1, 2020
Fall 2021
May 15, 2021
SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
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Applicants are encouraged to submit all supporting application materials through the online application system.
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Applications are not considered complete until all required materials listed in the Application Materials section above have been received. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
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Applicants who are admitted to the program must submit all official documents to the Office of Admissions before the offer is considered official.
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All submitted materials should clearly bear the applicant’s name and the name of the program to which he or she is applying.
Mailing Address and Contact Information
Office of Admissions
School of Professional Studies
203 Lewisohn Hall
2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4119
New York , NY 10027-6902
Office hours
Monday-Thursday
9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
In-person Walk-In Hours in 203 Lewisohn are suspended until further notice. Effective immediately, the Office of Admissions is launching Virtual Walk-In Hours for prospective students from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET (15-minute sessions), Monday through Thursday.
To connect with an Admissions Counselor for Virtual Walk-In Hours, please visit this Zoom room. You can access the Zoom room through a phone, laptop, desktop, or tablet.
Important Application Instructions
You must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at apply@sps.columbia.edu.
Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents consistent with these instructions may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants may be required to assist admissions staff and faculty involved in admission reviews in the verification of all documents and statements made in documents submitted by students as part of the application review process.
Please note that the applicant may upload unofficial transcripts at the start of the application process. Once an applicant has been admitted and has indicated acceptance of our offer of admission, official transcripts must be submitted electronically directly from the applicant’s prior institutions.
Please click here for more information on important admissions policies from the School of Professional Studies.