Teachers College is a graduate institution. In order to be considered for admission to a degree program:
All applicants must have a conferred baccalaureate degree before matriculating at Teachers College.
Teachers College reviews applications for Spring, Summer, and Fall entry. However, not all programs or degree levels are available for all entry terms. Applications must be for an available entry term (based on program and degree level) in order to be considered for admission. Applicants may only have one active application at a time, and may only apply to one degree program per cycle. Applicants are expected to collect and prepare all credentials, including any international educational evaluations, well in advance of the application deadline. Incomplete records will not be reviewed.
Please note that students may not be enrolled concurrently in two different institutions and may not be in two different degree programs or areas of specializations at Teachers College or Columbia University.
Under no circumstances can any application materials submitted to the Office of Admission be returned to the applicant or forwarded to another college, university, or place of business. All records submitted in support of an application for admission become part of a student's permanent record at Teachers College.
When completing the application, select the program and term for which you plan to apply. We encourage applicants to review program deadlines and requirements on the Programs Search page prior to applying. Use a single email address that will not expire before your desired term of entry, as it will be used for all correspondence from the Office of Admission.
In addition to collecting your personal information, the online application form will also serve as the portal to submit the application requirements below. Expand the titles below to learn more about preparing these important required documents.
Upload Statement of PurposeYour Statement of Purpose should describe your academic and professional background, your objectives for graduate school, and how you will positively contribute to the Teachers College community.
Upload ResumeThe resume should be a chronological listing of your employment history, educational history, academic endeavors, community service, and other significant or meaningful activities. It is also an ideal location to showcase any awards, publications, or any other achievements to support your application for admission.
Letters of RecommendationTeachers College requires two letters of recommendation. Some programs require an additional letter, or a letter from a specific source. Please review the Programs Search page for more information. A maximum of three letters may be submitted. Recommendation letters may only be submitted online. All letters of recommendation must be uploaded by the recommender (not the applicant) using professional letterhead and the recommender's professional email address. Failure to follow this protocol will result in delays in application processing. If a professional email address is not available, you will be asked to include an explanation.
Whenever possible, recommendations should be written by academic sources. If you have been out of school for a number of years, professional recommendations may be used in most cases. Recommendations should not be written by family members or friends. Your recommendation should directly address your suitability for admission to a graduate degree program at Teachers College.
In order for your application to be considered complete and eligible for review, letters of recommendation must be received by the deadline, along with all other required application materials.
Submit Supplemental MaterialsSome programs require supplemental materials, such as a third letter of recommendation, an academic writing sample, or additional questions specific to the course of study. Search for your intended program below to see what materials are required.
Additional Information:
As part of the application for admission, applicants are required to submit up-to-date transcripts reflecting a complete academic history, including all undergraduate and graduate coursework they have completed. Please be sure to add a new institution within your application for every school that has awarded you postsecondary-level course credits, including degree-granting institutions, transfer credit schools, postgraduate enrichment coursework, and study abroad programs. Full course titles, number of credits, and final grades must be reflected on all transcripts. Expand the titles below to read more about how to submit documents that meet our requirements.
To expedite the processing of your application, please utilize the official e-transcript delivery. Transcripts received by postal mail will take longer to process.
Transcripts from academic institutions in the United StatesIf you attended an institution in the United States, you have the option to upload a scanned copy of your transcript—through your online application—to allow for faster application processing. This should be a scanned or electronic copy of a transcript obtained directly from the Office of the Registrar at the issuing institution. Both your name and the name of the institution should be clearly visible.
Uploaded transcripts for degree-granting institutions, transfer credit schools, postgraduate enrichment coursework, and study abroad programs for all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed should include the following information:
Transcripts uploaded by the applicant are considered unofficial. This feature is offered in order to save you time and ensure that a record of your academic progress is included with your submitted application. It eliminates the need to have transcripts sent to us during the initial processing and review of your application, and precludes any delays resulting from the non-receipt of a transcript.
Only if you are admitted to Teachers College and choose to enroll will you be required to have final, official transcripts submitted by all academic institutions listed on your application. Your offer of admission will be contingent upon the receipt and verification of these official transcripts, which must be submitted directly by the Office of the Registrar (or equivalent office) of their issuing institutions . Failure to supply final official transcripts may impact your ability to register for classes. Teachers College reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission if there is a discrepancy between the uploaded version/evaluation and the official original transcript(s).
While you are not required to submit official transcripts at the point of application, this is recommended to ensure your application is reviewed in its completeness. If your institution provides official electronic transcripts, you may have those transcripts issued to transcripts@tc.columbia.edu . Please note that transcripts that are emailed as an attachment—whether by the institution or the applicant—are considered unofficial.
If your institution does not provide official electronic transcripts, you may have the institution mail your official paper transcript to the following address:
Office of Admission
Teachers College, Columbia University, BOX 302
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
Applicants who have completed, or are completing, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees at institutions outside of the United States are required to submit a full course-by-course evaluation including verified transcripts for U.S. degree equivalency. The evaluations must be prepared and sent by one of the two providers listed below. To ensure application review, full course-by-course evaluations must be received by the application deadline.
Please note this does not pertain to applicants from the United States who have spent a semester or year studying abroad. This requirement is only applicable for degree-granting institutions.
Teachers College will accept evaluations from the following organizations:
These organizations provide several types of evaluations. Please select the course-by-course evaluation option to ensure your evaluation meets our requirements for admission review. To have your evaluation sent to Teachers College, select "Teachers College - Columbia University" (for WES) and "Teachers College, Columbia University" (for ECE). Evaluations sent to Columbia University will not be received by Teachers College.
Applications are not considered complete without a course-by-course evaluation. The determination of degree equivalency to a U.S. degree is at the discretion of the College. Once submitted to Teachers College, the evaluation becomes an official academic record and sole property of Teachers College upon its receipt.
Applicants who attended institutions outside of the United States but did not complete degrees must submit these transcripts in order to be considered for admission review. Please note that if these transcripts are not in English, they must be accompanied by certified English translations. As with U.S.-based institutions, copies should be uploaded to your online application to ensure timely processing. If you are admitted to Teachers College and choose to enroll, you will be required to have final, official transcripts submitted by all academic institutions listed on your application. It is recommended that you also request official transcripts from the issuing institution as early as possible, as international transcript requests may be delayed.
Please note: Course-by-course evaluations must clearly state that you have earned or will be earning the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree upon completion of your program. If you are admitted to Teachers College and your in-progress WES or ECE course-by-course evaluation does not indicate that you will earn the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree, you will be expected upon conferral to submit a second course-by-course evaluation from WES or ECE confirming you have earned the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's degree. You will not be able to register for classes at Teachers College without fulfilling this requirement.
Not all students are required to submit results from standardized testing. Please consult the Programs Search page to see if your program requires supplemental materials, and please review the English Proficiency section below if your native language is not English.
If required, all test scores must be official scores sent directly from the test administrator to the Office of Admission and must be received by the deadline. For the GRE, TOEFL, or other tests administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS), the assigned institution code for Teachers College is 2905.
Most degree programs do not require GRE scores for admission. Please consult the Programs Search page to see requirements for your degree of interest. If you are submitting GRE scores, only exams taken within the last 5 years are valid. All scores must be received by the application deadline. T he assigned institution code for Teachers College is 2905.
English ProficiencyIf your native language is not English and you have not received a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree from an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, you must submit official scores from an accepted English proficiency exam. We accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
In order to be considered official, scores must be sent directly from the testing administrator and have been taken within the past 2 years.
The accepted tests and minimum scores are:
Note: Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Applied Linguistics have different English proficiency requirements and policies, refer to the program website for details .
If you have taken the TOEFL exam multiple times and your MyBest Score meets our minimum score requirement, please order an official score report that reflects your MyBest Score to be sent to Teachers College. Then, please contact the Office of Admission at admission@tc.columbia.edu to ensure that your MyBest Score is reflected in your application. We do not require individual score reports if a MyBest Score is submitted.
If you have not earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, but you have successfully completed a graduate degree at a school that meets this criteria, you are not required to submit official results from an accepted English proficiency exam. If you meet these conditions, in order to qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS exam waiver, evidence of your conferred graduate degree must be displayed on the relevant academic transcript or course-by-course evaluation.
Other ExamsSome programs require or allow applicants to submit results from other standardized tests, like the GMAT or MAT. Be sure to review the expiration date for these exams. Expired scores will not be accepted.
Applicants must provide consent to participate in the verification of all Letters of Recommendation provided during the application process.
A third party vendor is used by Teachers College to assist with verification of application materials, including letters of recommendation.
Prior to submitting your application to a degree program at Teachers College, you will be asked to provide consent to participate in the verification process. Consent for verification is granted by completing the Authorization and Release Form, within the online application.
Applicants should encourage their recommenders to respond promptly to any associated outreach.
In order to officially submit the application you must complete the signature section of the online degree application and then select "Submit Application." You will then be prompted to submit the non-refundable $75 application fee. Applicants may only apply to one program per admission cycle.
Please note, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the Office of Admission receives all required materials by the application deadline. Our deadlines are received-by deadlines. Our TC Pathway Portal allows you to see a live checklist reflecting your required documents so that you can track what has been received. If you submitted something, but it looks like we haven’t received it, please reach out to our office at admission@tc.columbia.edu for guidance.
Be sure to check your email regularly to avoid delays in application processing. The official notification of your decision will come directly from the Office of Admission.
Office of Admission
Phone: 212-678-3710
admission@tc.columbia.edu
Office of Financial Aid
Phone: 212-678-3714
financialaid@tc.columbia.edu
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