Columbia University

Columbia University is a private institution that was founded in 1754. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,084, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 36 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Columbia University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 4. It is the member of prestigious Ivy League which includes only top institutions of the US. The University also operates Columbia Global Centers overseas in Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Paris, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and Nairobi. 101 Nobel Prize laureates have been affiliated with the university as students, faculty, or staff, the second most of any institution in the world. Columbia is one of the fourteen founding members of the Association of American Universities, and was the first school in the United States to grant the M.D. degree.

Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.

Controversy preceded the founding of the College, with various groups competing to determine its location and religious affiliation. Advocates of New York City met with success on the first point, while the Anglicans prevailed on the latter. However, all constituencies agreed to commit themselves to principles of religious liberty in establishing the policies of the College.

Notable alumni and former students of the university and its predecessor, King's College, include five Founding Fathers of the United States; nine Justices of the United States Supreme Court; 43 Nobel Prize laureates; 20 living billionaires; 28 Academy Award winners; and 29 heads of state, including three United States Presidents, Barak Obama being one of them.

Columbia University was ranked fourth amongst the top U.S. national universities for 2014 as per U.S. News & World Report.

The most popular majors at Columbia University include: Social Sciences; Engineering; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; English Language and Literature/Letters; and Visual and Performing Arts. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 99 percent.

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