Columbia University

New York City, USA

Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. It was established in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of George II, making it the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784, after the American Revolution, and took its present name when it moved to its current location in 1896. Its two main campuses are the historic one in Morningside Heights and the Medical Center in Washington Heights.

CWUR ranks Columbia No. 8 in its 2026 and 2025 editions, and ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities also places it No. 8 in both years. U.S. News & World Report puts it No. 10 in its Best Global Universities 2026–2027 and 2025–2026, a ranking that measures research performance and global and regional reputation.

Columbia is made up of 17 schools and is affiliated with Barnard College and Teachers College. It was the first school in the United States to grant the MD degree, and it administers the Pulitzer Prize every year. Its scientists played key roles in the development of the laser and maser and in nuclear magnetic resonance, and they did much of the early research for the Manhattan Project. As of December 2021, its alumni, faculty and staff included four U.S. presidents and 103 Nobel laureates.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) · ShanghaiRanking Consultancy (ARWU) · U.S. News & World Report · Columbia University

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