Application Procedure
Columbia University Science Honors Program
2023-2024 Academic Year


The Columbia University Science Honors Program (SHP) is a highly selective program for students who have a strong interest in science and mathematics. Classes are held at Columbia from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Saturdays throughout the academic year. Applicants for the 2023-2024 school year must now be in the eleventh, tenth, or ninth grade and must apply online. The program is available only to students who attend high schools in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and who live within a 75-mile radius of the Columbia campus.

An annual program fee of $600 per year is assessed for all students (with $300 due at the beginning of each semester). Program fee waivers may be available for students with documented financial hardships; waivers will be granted after the admissions process, and all applications will receive equal consideration regardless of need.

Application Requirements

Entrance Examination

As part of the application process, there will also be a 2-hour online entrance examination. There will be multiple dates available on several weekends in June. Students will be contacted to choose their preferred examination date after the application deadline. The examination will contain questions in mathematics and science. Students are expected to have a background in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and probability, together with some knowledge of elementary science subjects. No special studying or review is needed for the examination.

If you are eligible for exam-taking accommodations, we will need a copy of a letter from, for example, the College Board describing your accommodations for standardized tests, e.g. SATs or ACTS, or a copy of your IEP if applicable. An option for accomodations will be available on the exam date selection form and we will contact those who select that option to obtain the needed documentation.

Application Deadline

The deadline for SHP receipt of the completed online application is 11:59 PM on May 31, 2023. The $50 fee payment, paid by credit card, must also be received by the SHP by May 31, 2023. No applications will be accepted after this date.

Applicant upload of the transcript, and online letters of recommendation, must be received by the SHP no later than June 15, 2023.

Online Application

The SHP online application can be accessed at:
https://apply.engineering.columbia.edu/apply/?sr=d4aceb6c-cea8-46c3-9c4e-273f86dcbdd9
The application for the SHP is managed through Columbia Engineering school's system, so you will see "Graduate Engineering" on the page. This is expected. This site will initially require the student to create an account with the online application provider for the graduate school. First time users, should click "Create an account" to start a new application. Please make sure to store the login credentials that you create in a safe place as you will need them to access your application throughout the process.

The person whom the student has selected to write a recommendation letter will be automatically notified and asked to submit the recommendation online. Students should discuss with potential recommenders the waiver of rights option before making a final selection of recommender. Please be aware that many recommenders will decline to write a recommendation if you do not waive that right. A student's choice to waive or not to waive rights to inspect the recommendation cannot be changed after the recommendation request has been submitted.

Instructions for making the payment of the $50 application fee are given at the end of the online application process, immediately after final submission of the completed application.

If you are requesting an application fee waiver, you must do it before you submit the application. The link for the waiver request can be found within the application itself in the section titled "Science Honors Program Instructions" under the subsection, "Application Requirements." Once you submit the waiver request, you can go through and submit the application, but do not pay the fee requested at the end unless you waiver request is denied. Waivers may take several business days to be reviewed.

It is the student's responsibility to upload the required transcript to the SHP by the due date.

After a completed application has been submitted to the SHP, the applicant should receive a confirmation e-mail indicating successful submission. The student can subsequently upload the transcript (if not done previously), and track the SHP's receipt of the associated recommendation letter, by returning to the application at any time. Note that no other application changes or edits are possible after the May 31st submission deadline. After the close of the application period, applicants will be contacted to choose their preferred examination date.

Applicants will be notified about admission decisions by August 1, 2023.

Students who are currently members of the SHP in good standing are entitled to continue in the program until graduation from high school and do not have to reapply for admission.

Students who applied to the program last year but were not admitted may submit a new application for the 2023-2024 academic year. Last year's application cannot be reactivated, and students must create a new account with new credentials. The deadline for completed applications is 11:59 pm on May 31st, 2023 including application fee. No applications will be accepted after this date.
Columbia University Science Honors Program.