New Student Checklist

Your University Network ID (UNI) provides access to essential Columbia systems, including registration, billing, and email. Your UNI—made up of your initials and a four-digit number—will be sent to the email address you used to apply to GSAS, typically within three to five business days after you accept your offer of admission. Once you receive this notification, please follow the instructions provided to activate your UNI. After activating your UNI, please set up your Columbia email account (LionMail), following the steps outlined here. Be sure to check your LionMail account regularly, as all official University communications will be sent to your Columbia LionMail address.

If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to apply for your I-20 online as soon as possible to expedite the process of obtaining a student visa. Please contact the International Students and Scholars Office with any questions. 

International students are required to view these videos from the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).

To apply for housing, complete the Columbia Residential application by the deadline indicated in your letter of admission. To apply, you will first need to successfully activate your UNI.

See the Housing page for links to apartment-hunting resources and special information for PhD students and MA students.

To comply with University policy, all students must complete several immunization requirements and submit documentation prior to registering for their first term.

You must complete the following requirements before you attend classes:

  1. Go to How to Submit Immunization.
  2. Certify your Meningitis vaccine decision.
  3. Upload your proof of MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination or immunity to the Patient Portal

For more information, see the Columbia Health website.

You must submit a photo online to be used on your Columbia ID card. Instructions on picking up your ID card will be shared via email and on the GSAS website in the coming weeks.

Columbia University requires all incoming students to complete a credentials verification process for letters of reference and all post-secondary transcripts and degrees awarded. Instructions will be sent prior to your enrollment. For detailed information, please refer to our Credentials Verification page.

Columbia GSAS has contracted with Re Vera Services to assist with the verification of your letters of recommendation. We strongly suggest that you notify your recommenders that Re Vera will be contacting them to confirm that they have submitted letters for your application.

You may be contacted by a representative from Re Vera Services if they have any questions or need your assistance in reaching your recommender. Your timely replies to any such inquiries are required as part of the credentials-verification process.

All enrolling students must provide official final transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, even if a degree was not awarded. Transcripts must include course names and grades for all work completed.

For a transcript to be considered official, it must be sent directly to the GSAS Office of Admissions via secure electronic delivery, according to the instructions provided here. Any documents to which a student has had access, including any transcripts uploaded as part of the application, are automatically considered unofficial.

Please click here to review detailed instructions for the submission of Final Official Transcripts.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Financial Aid will offer four distinct informational sessions for entering PhD students outlining the steps required to ensure the timely disbursement of your GSAS funding for Fall 2026.

A recording and copy of the slides for each presentation will be available below in the week following all four sessions.

Please register for the applicable session below based on the following distinctions:

  • Students in the following departments should plan to attend Session 2 or 4 (Payroll) based on their citizenship status:  Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Statistics
  • Students in all other departments should plan to attend Session 1 or 3 (Stipend) based on their citizenship status.

 

Session 1:  Tuesday, June 23 at 10:00 A.M. EST  U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents - Stipend Funding

Session 2:  Tuesday, June 23 at 2:00 P.M. EST  U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents - Payroll Funding

Session 3:  Thursday, June 25 at 10:00 A.M. EST International Students - Stipend Funding

Session 4:  Thursday, June 25 at 2:00 P.M. EST  International Students - Payroll Funding