At Columbia Business School, our high-achieving students capitalize on a unique opportunity. Located at the heart of the world’s business hub, New York City, they learn firsthand from the leaders driving today’s top industries — both globally renowned practitioners and our cutting-edge researchers who maintain close ties to industry.
Together, as part of our diverse, entrepreneurial-minded community, these students also take part in a daily dialogue about the innovations of tomorrow. When you bring them on board at your company, these burgeoning leaders are ready to help accelerate your firm into the future.
Training at the Very Center of Business
Columbia Business School is the only Ivy League business school immersed in New York City. Here, students enjoy guest lectures, classroom visits, and even one-on-one consultations from the most innovative minds in the field. Their real-world insights are invaluable to our students’ growth as business leaders.
When our graduates join your organization, the interactions they’ve had on campus will ensure that they hit the ground running. In addition to regular classroom visits, here are a few of the programs that drive this collaboration with real-world business.
Executives in Residence
Leaders from companies including Goldman Sachs and McKinsey take part in this four-decade-old program, which integrates senior executives into the daily life of the School. Learn more about Executives in Residence.
Silfen Leadership Series
Each semester, the students that run this speaker series invite some of the top CEOs in business today. These cutting-edge leaders join our students for frank discussions on a wide range of topics.
Chazen International Study Tours
Our ties extend well beyond New York City. With this program, our students travel the world to see firsthand what the leading practitioners are doing. Learn more about Chazen International Study Tours.
Student Body
When you recruit Columbia MBAs, you gain access to a diverse community of future leaders poised to make an impact. We take great pride in training the very best from all around the world. Here’s a sense of who you’ll be meeting.
Approx. 900
Total students in class of 2025
3.5
Average undergraduate GPA
43%
Minorities of US origin
28
Average age of entry
700–760
GMAT range (middle 80%)
5
Average years of work experience
47%
Non-US citizens
44%
Women
Entrepreneurial-Minded
Beyond being high achievers, we train our students to be entrepreneurial minded. That means when they graduate, they leave our campus as leaders, ready to spearhead growth at even the most established organizations.
“Columbia’s different from a lot of schools that teach entrepreneurship in that we don’t think about it from the perspective of who’s an entrepreneur and who isn’t,” says Keith Wilcox, assistant professor in the Marketing Division. “We think about how to teach people to think outside the box and how to develop innovative thinkers.”