Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship Application. Only complete scholarship applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the scholarship committee.
Please follow all directions carefully. Students must submit the following materials to make a complete Scholarship Columbia application. There are three parts to the application:
PART 1: ESSAY
In a 300- to 500-word essay, describe how Scholarship Columbia will make a difference in your life as a student.
Your essay must be double-spaced, and include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Please upload your response in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.
PART 2: LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
One letter of recommendation is required from a Columbia faculty member who is familiar with your academic abilities.
For your convenience, the online application will send an email notification directly to the person you've chosen to complete your recommendation. Please be prepared with the email address of your recommender.
Remember to contact your recommenders directly before providing their information on the application. Since this application is part of the larger College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship application, also note the specific scholarship(s) for which they will be recommending you. Be sure to give recommenders as much time as possible to write letters. Requests made at the last minute are often difficult to fulfill by the deadline.
PART 3: FAFSA SUBMISSION SUMMARY
A current FAFSA Submission Summary must be on file. To receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, students must complete a 2025-26 financial aid application (FAFSA) by February 1, 2025.
Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.