Columbia University, officially known as Columbia University in the City of New York, is a private Ivy League research university located in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of Great Britain, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York State and the fifth-oldest in the United States. In 1784, following the American Revolution, it was renamed Columbia College. The institution moved to its current Morningside Heights campus in 1896 and was rechartered as Columbia University. As of 2025, the university's endowment was $15.9 billion. Claire Shipman is currently serving as acting president.
Columbia is organized into twenty schools, including three undergraduate schools and sixteen graduate schools. The university is known for its rigorous academic environment, with an emphasis on intellectual diversity and a core curriculum that exposes students to a broad spectrum of ideas. Columbia's research efforts include the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. It administers the Pulitzer Prize annually. Columbia's alumni include 4 presidents, 46 Olympians, and over 80 Nobel laureates. In the U.S. News & World Report 2024-25 Best Global Universities Rankings, Columbia ranked No. 9.
