Columbia Families

How Do I Apply?

If you work at Columbia University or are being recruited for employment at Columbia University, please contact our school's Admissions Office at admissions@theschool.columbia.edu. The inquiry form is the first step in the admissions process. Our inquiry form for the 2026-27 school year will open on August 15, 2025.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

To apply, at least one parent/guardian must be a Columbia University full-time Officer of Instruction, Research, the Libraries, or Administration and qualify for the Primary Tuition Scholarship (PTS) benefit; and live within the five boroughs of New York City upon enrollment
Applicant CU-affiliated families must live in one of the five boroughs of New York City; they may start the application process before moving to New York City, but must establish residency at the time of matriculation. Residency must be confirmed by CU Human Resources within the Columbia University Benefits Enrollment System (CUBES)
Members of Columbia University bargaining units can apply through the neighborhood lottery process if they reside in New York City Public School District 3 or 5.
Adjunct professors, students, and certain post docs are ineligible to apply even if they live in District 3 or 5. However, please see the bullet above if you are a member of a Columbia bargaining unit who falls into any of these groups. Visiting officers may be eligible to apply in certain circumstances; please contact us for more information.
Kindergarten applicants to The School should turn five by August 31 of the year they will be enrolled in Kindergarten. This is based on The School’s experience of what has allowed most children to be most successful and ready for Kindergarten. If your child has a fall birthday and you wish to discuss their Kindergarten application eligibility at The School in the year they will turn five, please reach out to Mónica Amaro, Director of Enrollment. If an application is released, The School will then make a determination about kindergarten readiness through the admissions process.
The School does not require any educational testing (ERBs, etc.) for admission.
The School does not have an application fee.

How Are Acceptances Determined?

For kindergarten and openings at other grade levels, we follow a process, developed by a faculty task force, for allocating seats, prioritizing by groups based on an affiliate’s primary appointment:

Group I is officers of instruction of professorial rank (assistant, associate, and full professors, professors of practice, and clinical professors).
Group II is other academic officers (officers of the libraries, research officers, teachers at The School, and other officers of instruction not included in the first category).
Group III is officers of administration.

Seats are allocated through a general lottery that occurs in early February with seats prioritized by group, as described above. Any applicants who do not receive a seat through the lottery are placed on a waitlist and, in recent years, many ultimately received offers for the fall.

Admissions Timeline

Online inquiry opens on August 15, 2025 and closes on October 31, 2025. Families must complete an online form.
For those eligible, applications are sent via email beginning the first week of November. Application receipt does not guarantee a space.
The application deadline for the 2026-27 school year is noon on Monday, December 1, 2025. School reports are due by Friday, December 12, 2025.
For all applicants, the process includes a child visit and an internal assessment by The School.
For those who complete the admissions process, notifications are sent in early February 2026.
Signed contracts and deposits are due by mid-February 2026. Children may be placed on our waitlist to be offered admission if additional spaces become available. The waitlist stays active only until the start of the school year, and does not automatically carry over to the next year. Families must reapply if they wish to be in the next school year’s application cycle.

The School at Columbia University

556 West 110th Street
New York, NY 10025
212-851-4215
Contact Us

Community
Collaboration
Diversity
Innovation

Previous Next