Columbia & UPenn Research Notes
columbia_upenn.md
Columbia & UPenn Research Notes
Columbia University
Admissions (Class of 2029 / Fall 2025)
- Total applicants: 60,551
- Overall acceptance rate: 3.9%
- ED acceptance rate: ~16.7% (not officially published separately)
- RD acceptance rate: ~2.8%
- Class size: 1,600
- Yield: 65%
Academics
- SAT middle 50%: 1480–1570
- ACT middle 50%: 34–36
- Avg unweighted GPA: 3.93
- Top 10% of HS class: 95%
- Testing policy: Test-optional
Round Strategy
- ED (binding) — one of the largest ED multipliers among elite schools (~3.4x overall rate)
- Does not offer EA
Demographics
- Women: 50.7%, Asian: 12.6%, Black: 5.1%, Hispanic: 7.9%, White: 34.7%, International: 30.2%
Financial Aid / Net Cost
| Income Bracket | Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $9,973 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $7,200 |
| Over $110,000 | $40,538 |
Athletics
- 381 varsity athletes (~11.3% of undergrads — highest among Ivies)
- NCAA Division I, Ivy League Conference
Notable
Located in Morningside Heights/NYC. No officially published ED rate. Strong ED advantage (~3.4x multiplier). Highest international enrollment among Ivies (30.2%). Pre-professional culture; proximity to Wall Street and media.
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Admissions (Class of 2029 / Fall 2025)
- Total applicants: 65,235
- Overall acceptance rate: 4.9%
- ED acceptance rate: 14.0%
- RD acceptance rate: 3.5%
- Class size: 2,400
- Yield: 68%
Academics
- SAT middle 50%: 1490–1570
- ACT middle 50%: 34–36
- Avg unweighted GPA: 3.93
- Top 10% of HS class: 96%
- Testing policy: Will require tests starting Class of 2030
Round Strategy
- ED (binding) — 14% ED rate vs ~3.5% RD rate
- Does not offer EA
Demographics
- Women: 52.7%, Asian: 15.0%, Black: 6.0%, Hispanic: 7.3%, White: 45.3%, International: 18.4%
Financial Aid / Net Cost
| Income Bracket | Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $7,167 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $5,000 |
| Over $110,000 | $38,570 |
Athletics
- 391 varsity athletes (~4.2% of undergrads)
- NCAA Division I, Ivy League Conference
Notable
Wharton School of Business is the most competitive undergraduate business school in the US. Penn will reinstate test requirements for the Class of 2030 — one of the few elite schools reversing test-optional policy.
Sources
- Columbia Common Data Set 2024–2025
- UPenn Common Data Set 2024–2025
- research_colleges.json simulation data