Quad

Head-to-head

Columbia
Yale

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Yale's yield is 9 pts higher than Columbia's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Yale graduates 5 pts more of its students than Columbia (98% vs. 93%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Yale costs about $3.2K less per year on average than Columbia ($51,439 vs. $54,653, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Columbia is a bit larger (8,973 vs. 6,758)

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    Yale admits 3.9% vs. 4.9% at Columbia

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Yale's grants cover 42% of its full price on average, vs. 39% at Columbia

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Yale admits 3.9%, Columbia 4.9%; Yale's yield is higher, at 70%.

Acceptance rate
Columbia4.9%
Yale3.9%
Quad's selectivity
  • ColumbiaUltra selective
  • YaleUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
Columbia
1510–1560
Yale
1480–1560
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ColumbiaRigor, GPA, and rank very importantweighted GPAs
  • YaleRigor, GPA, and rank very important

Who's on each campus

Columbia is a bit larger than Yale (8,973 vs. 6,758 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Columbia9K
Yale6.8K
Pell Grant share
Columbia23%
Yale20%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Columbia, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Yale; Yale has 5 students per faculty member to Columbia's 6.

Students per faculty member
Columbia6 to 1
Yale5 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ColumbiaComputer Science15%
  • YaleEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%

What each costs

Yale costs about $3.2K less a year than Columbia on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Columbia$54.7K
Yale$51.4K
Aid generosity
Columbia39%
Yale42%

What each pays off

Columbia's former students earn more, a median $102.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Columbia$102.5K
Yale$100.5K
Graduation rate
Columbia93%
Yale98%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; selectivity held steady at both.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ColumbiaGrowing+82%
  • YaleGrowing+86%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Columbia University in the City of New York (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Yale University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Yale University 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