HOW TO APPLY

1. Completed online application form with $95.00 nonrefundable application fee.

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You must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at sustainability@sps.columbia.edu

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2. Transcripts

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In the Academic History section of the online application, applicants must list and upload unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions you have attended full-time for at least one term. This includes any summer program(s), study abroad program(s), or transfer coursework including any additional mark sheets, official translations, or degree certificates for international transcripts as needed with the exception of: 

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• Coursework where no credits are earned, 

• Institutions where you completed a total of 11 credits or less (on a traditional U.S. credit system) outside of your degree granting institution and those credits appear on your degree granting institution transcript.

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If requested, applicants may be required to provide transcripts from any and all post-secondary institutions. 

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Please note that applicants are required to submit grades for all coursework completed at the time they complete their application. Applicants who are currently enrolled in coursework and who submit transcripts with in-progress coursework for admissions consideration (official WES for international and unofficial for domestic) must provide an updated unofficial transcript showing the grades for that completed semester’s coursework as soon as one becomes available. 

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International Coursework:

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Official ICAP course-by-course evaluation by World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third-party verification agency, for all post-secondary coursework completed outside of the United States is required for your application to be reviewed. WES evaluations will be reviewed, and the determination of degree equivalency to U.S. degrees is at the discretion of the School of Professional Studies. 

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Please note that applicants who have completed 18 credits or less abroad may submit an unofficial transcript for admissions consideration. If admitted, the applicant must submit an official transcript directly from the prior institution. WES is not required for a total of 18 credits or less completed outside the United States.

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Instructions for using WES

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WES must complete a course-by-course evaluation of all post-secondary credentials. Please select the WES ICAP course-by-course evaluation (with GPA and course-levels) and request to have WES send your evaluation to Columbia University School of Professional Studies. The school can be found by searching Columbia University and then selecting School of Professional Studies. The evaluation provided to the School of Professional Studies becomes an official academic record and sole property of the School of Professional Studies upon its receipt.

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WES evaluations will be reviewed by the School of Professional Studies administrators and the determination of degree equivalency to U.S. degrees is at the discretion of the School of Professional Studies.

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Requirements for Enrollment:

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All students who have attended a college or university in the United States must submit electronic transcripts directly from their school or via the vendor that provides that service for their institution to transcripts@sps.columbia.edu.

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If a school does not offer electronic delivery, you must write to transcripts@sps.columbia.edu  to provide us with the link to your institution's webpage concerning transcript orders. After verification, we will respond with further instructions.

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If you are in the process of completing a degree at the time you apply, final official transcripts with degree conferral (for domestic institutions) or a final official WES evaluation showing degree conferral, including your degree certificate (for international institutions) will be required for enrollment. If you have completed your studies at the time of your application, we strongly recommend you submit your final official transcripts as soon as possible. Failure to submit an official transcript or WES within 30 days following the start of your first semester will result in a hold on your account and, if not remedied, can result in dismissal from the program.

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3. Résumé

Your current résumé should include your employment history, academic history, relevant research experience, volunteer history, leadership roles and activities, awards and honors, and any additional activities related to your career and graduate program goals.

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4. Statement of Academic Purpose (500 – 750 words) that addresses the following:

Your purpose and interest in pursuing a degree in sustainability science
how the degree program fits into your overall professional growth, focusing in particular on the connection between the program and your academic and/or professional experience.

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5. Two Letters of Recommendation

These letters should be written by current or former supervisors or by faculty members with whom you have studied in the classroom, that address your suitability for the program and your ability to commit to the rigorous curriculum. We strongly recommend that all applicants submit at least one academic reference. Applicants who have received their bachelor’s degree within the last five years must submit at least one recommendation from a teacher who can comment on your academic aptitude.

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Applicants must list recommenders and their contact information within the online application. Please provide your recommender’s professional email address and note that your recommender will receive an email requesting the recommendation upon your completion of the recommendation section of the application. Your recommender will be asked to log into the online application system, answer a few questions, and upload a letter of recommendation typed on professional letterhead. Recommendations must be submitted within the online application system. We strongly suggest notifying your recommender of these requirements prior to entering their information into the application system. You have the ability within the application system to re-notify your recommender of the request. Apart from the initial notification sent through the application system, applicants are responsible for notifying and reminding the recommender about the request.

 

Recommendations must be submitted through the application system and by the recommender directly. Applicants who have uploaded their own recommendation letters are not admissible.

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Information to Share with your Recommenders:

Before adding their information to the application, please contact your recommenders and inform them that they will receive an email from apply@sps.columbia.edu  that will provide instructions regarding their letters. They may wish to add apply@sps.columbia.edu  to their address book or list of contacts to ensure that the message is routed to their inbox.

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Ensure your recommender is aware that they will be asked to complete a brief evaluation form within the application system and upload a letter of recommendation on letterhead (whenever possible). Both components are necessary to fulfill the requirement and must be provided within the application system. We will not accept letters sent via email or post mail.

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Inform your recommender that they should expect to be contacted by a third party verification provider, Re Vera Services, who will reach out to them via email to confirm that they supplied the recommendation.

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We strongly suggest you give your recommender a timeline for providing the recommendation and that you proactively follow-up with them until the letter is submitted.

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6. Demonstration of English Proficiency

If your first or native language is not English, you must provide official scores on the TOEFL or IELTS Academic unless both of the following are true:

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• the language of instruction of your undergraduate degree conferring institution is English, and

• and you completed your entire undergraduate degree in English.

Applicant total scores must meet the Columbia SPS minimum requirement of 100 (TOEFL iBT) or 7.0 (IELTS Academic) to be admissible. You will be required to enter your test scores or your anticipated testing date within the online application, and official test score reports will be required for your application to be considered complete and ready for admission review. TOEFL and IELTS Academic scores are valid for two years after your test date. Applicants receiving scores below the posted minimums may be advised to apply directly to the American Language Program.

 

• To submit TOEFL iBT scores: Visit www.ets.org and send your official score to our school code 2594. Please note: we do not accept TOEFL best scores.

• To submit IELTS scores: Please include your TRF number on the English Language Requirements section of the application. Alternatively, you can also send us your official score through your testing center.

Applicants whose primary language is not English may be required to complete an intensive course with the American Language Program (ALP) prior to beginning their studies in the degree program as a condition for admission.

Applicants may also be asked to complete an interview using a video conferencing tool.

 

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7. Video Essay

Applicants will be required to submit a 1-minute video essay. Once the application and fee are submitted, the video essay section will become available. You will be given time to create a test video to ensure that your system is working properly. When you are ready, you will be given a randomly selected prompt for which you will have one minute to prepare and one minute to record a response.

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8. ReVera Authorization

Columbia University uses Re Vera Services to verify your recommenders. You must submit your ReVera Authorization Release Form directly into the application portal in order to begin the verification process.