Getting to Know Columbia University

Getting to Know Columbia University

For 270 years, Columbia University has been a leader in higher education in the nation and around the world.

Learn about the University's history, take a self-guided walking tour of the main campus in Morningside Heights, New York City, check out the list of Nobel Laureates—including alumni, faculty, adjunct faculty, researchers and administrators—and did you know we are the administrators of the Pulitzer Prizes?

Highlights

Since its founding in 1754, Columbia University has been dedicated to teaching, research and clinical care. To promote an environment that allows everyone in the Columbia community to do their best work, be respected and have as positive an experience as possible, the University's Mission Statement and Statement of Ethical Conduct guide everything we do. 

Columbia University is an independent, privately supported, nonsectarian institution of higher education. Its official corporate name is “The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York.” Academic activity at the University is primarily organized through its faculties and departments of instruction. To direct instruction and research that crosses departmental and faculty lines, the University establishes administrative boards, institutes, centers, laboratories and interdepartmental programs. Affiliated with the University, but corporately separate, are other educational institutions, hospitals and research institutes.

Learn about the Organization and Governance of the University.

Columbia University’s main campus is situated on Morningside Heights in Upper Manhattan. The Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is located two and a half miles north of the main campus in Washington Heights. In between the main campus and CUIMC sits Manhattanville, the University's newest campus. Across the Hudson River in Palisades, New York, is the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. And the Nevis Laboratories are located in Irvington, New York. The University also maintains an educational facility at Reid Hall in Paris, France. 

The intercampus shuttle is a great way to move between campuses. Go to the Public Safety department's Maps & Schedules for more.

At Columbia University we recognize that to be truly sustainable is to take a multi-faceted and multi-tiered approach. We are looking to tackle these issues through world-renowned research occurring right here on our campus, engaging staff leadership and individual participation. 

Every member of the Columbia community has a role to play in achieving our sustainability goals. Learn more about Sustainable Columbia.