In a further sign of uncertain times, Columbia Business School has extended its final deadline for August 2020 from April to June 1st. Assistant Dean of Admissions, Amanda Carlson, is being completely transparent about this decision:
"Columbia Business School has decided to extend its application deadline for the August 2020 incoming class until June 1, 2020.
Let me explain why we are making this decision. To be as transparent as possible, and I anticipate that I am not alone in my thinking: admissions offices at many business schools do not know what will happen with our incoming classes.
Why am I telling you this? By all counts, our incoming class looks great. Application volume is even up .8% year to date. However, COVID-19 is an evolving situation and we too are trying to anticipate what comes next with our incoming class. We plan to admit more candidates toward the end of this application cycle in anticipation that some of our admitted students may struggle, for a variety of reasons, to start in August 2020.
If you are thinking about submitting an application to Columbia Business School, and wonder if it’s too late, it’s not. We are extending the deadline and plan to admit more candidates who will be a great fit in our community. "
I think this represents a great opportunity, especially for US citizens and residents , to apply to Columbia. It is very reasonable to assume that there will be availability in the program. Especially for anyone in New York City who was considering application, I suggest applying as long as you don't mind that you missed the fellowship deadline of January. Also, do keep in mind the possibility of significant changes to the program as result of the possible need to switch to distance education even after this spring. For more about that, see my recent post where I analyze the possible impacts of Coronavirus on MBA students and applicants.
If you are international applicant, I think you should really only consider doing this if you can anticipate a relatively easy US visa process.
If you have not taken GMAT or GRE, keep in mind that Columbia (and also Stern) accept the Executive Assessment (EA) for the regular MBA program as well for Executive programs. I had three clients admitted to CBS so far based on EA scores for 2020 entrance. It is a faster and by all accounts easier test to take. Also for those good at Integrated Reasoning, that section is 1/3 of the total core for the test, which can help to mitigate a lower verbal or quant score.
For more about applying to Columbia, please see here.
