Columbia University

Overview

Founded in 1754 as King’s College through a Royal Charter granted by King George II of England, Columbia University is the oldest institution of higher learning in New York State and one of the oldest in the United States. Its iconic landmark is the Low Memorial Library, designed in the Roman Classical style, which continues to house the university’s central administration offices.

Over 80 faculty members, alumni, and adjunct staff have been awarded the Nobel Prize since its inception in 1901, including notable figures such as chemist Robert Lefkowitz, economist Joseph Stiglitz, and U.S. President Barack Obama, who received the Peace Prize in 2009. Columbia has educated prominent individuals, including U.S. Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, and actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Katie Holmes, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

This private research university boasts 20 schools, including those for architecture, business, law, and the Jewish theological seminary, along with 23 libraries spread across the city. Its medical center generates over $600 million annually in sponsored research. Columbia Technology Ventures, the university's tech transfer office, handles over 400 new inventions annually and has helped launch more than 150 start-up companies based on Columbia technologies.

The university operates nine Columbia Global Centres across the globe, in locations such as China, Jordan, Turkey, Kenya, India, France, Chile, Brazil, and New York City, fostering collaboration to address global challenges.