Key differences on Getting in

1
Columbia's yield is 21 pts higher than U. Southern California's
Yield rate
2
Columbia is 2.3× more selective than U. Southern California
Acceptance rate
3
Columbia's SAT midpoint is 34 points higher than U. Southern California's
SAT midpoint

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

Columbia4.9%Most selective

U. Southern California11%

Applicants

Columbia59.6K

U. Southern California83.5KMost

Admitted

Columbia2.9K

U. Southern California9.3KMost

Yield rate

Columbia61%Highest

U. Southern California40%

Quad's selectivity

ColumbiaUltra selective
U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

Columbia3.8%

U. Southern California9.1%

Men admitted

Columbia4.2%

U. Southern California11%

Test scores

SAT total,

Columbia

1510–1560

U. Southern California

1470–1540

Axis runs 1400–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

Columbia

34–35

U. Southern California

32–35

Axis runs 28–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

Columbia50%

U. Southern California33%

Submitted ACT

Columbia17%

U. Southern California12%

Test policy

ColumbiaTest-optional
U. Southern CaliforniaTest-optional

How they read a record

Columbia
, GPA, and class rank are all very important; tests are considered. This college reports (average 4.25), which pile most students into the top band; the bands can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.
U. Southern California
and GPA are both very important; tests are considered. 80% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.

What they look at

Factor	Columbia	U. Southern California
High school GPA	Very important	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Very important	Not considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Very important	Very important
Essay	Very important	Very important
Legacy status	Considered	Considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Required
English proficiency test	Considered	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:Columbia University in the City of New York (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Southern California (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why