Preparing Your Application

Admissions Information

The Statistics Department at Columbia University offers a Master of Arts Degree in Statistics designed to prepare students for professional positions in Statistics.  It can also be a path to a doctoral program in statistics.

The M.A. in Statistics program may be taken either full-time or part-time.  The full-time course is designed to be completed in three semesters:  Fall/Spring—Year 1, Fall—Year 2. Students may also opt to take summer classes.  Part-time domestic students may complete the program within four years.

In addition to the regular program is the Hybrid Online/On-Campus program where courses are taken online for the first semester.  The requirements and the diploma received for both programs are the same.  A prospective student must request to be considered for either the Hybrid or the regular On-Campus program but can choose the other program as a second choice at the time of application.  Students accepted into the Hybrid Online/On-Campus Program cannot change to the On-Campus program.

A student already enrolled at Columbia University for an undergraduate degree may consider the BA/MA option.  Please read the section that follows for more information. 

We offer admissions info sessions throughout the academic year. For more information on how to register, please email “MA.Stat@columbia.edu” and include in the subject line “Request for Admissions Information Sessions”.

Click here for general Admissions Contacts

The BA/MA Option

A student who is interested in pursuing the BA/MA Option in the Statistics Department may set up an appointment with either Director of the Undergraduate Program, Professor Ronald Neath, or Professor Gabriel Young, before the end of the sophomore year. During this meeting, applicable courses for transfer into the MA Program will be discussed and an overall strategy/application timeline will be reviewed.  The optimal time for an undergraduate student to apply is during the junior year. Once accepted into the BA/MA program, a student will be provided with an MA Faculty Advisor to guide the process of transferring courses and finalizing the MA schedule.

Only upon enrollment in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) can a BA/MA student receive transfer credit for up to three courses (9-12 credits) and up to 0.50 RU for graduate courses (4000-level and above) taken in excess of the 124-credit requirement for the Columbia or Barnard bachelor’s degree (i.e., courses that did not count toward the undergraduate major, concentration, or general education requirements).

The GRE is optional but not required for BA/MA applications.  Please read more about the BA/MA option on the GSAS Website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prospective students are advised to visit the M.A. Statistics page on the GSAS Website and to review all the Frequently Asked Questions.

• Admissions FAQs – MA Statistics Website.
• Hybrid FAQs – MA Statistics Website.
• GSAS Admissions FAQs – GSAS Website.

Admissions Information for International Students

Prospective students are advised to visit the ISSO COVID-19 FAQs. 

Information for international students:

• Baccalaureate degree equivalency,
• English proficiency requirements, and the
• International Students and Scholars Office.

The MA Statistics Program offers Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for International MA in Statistics Students. 

• General information on OPT is here.
  • Summer employment after the second semester.
  • Employment after graduation.
• General information on CPT is here. 
            Statistical Fieldwork GR5399

• Statistics is a STEM subject. Details on the OPT extension for students with STEM degrees are here.
• MA Statistics students receive details on how to apply for OPT through the MA Statistics Program Weekly Newsletter.

Application Procedures

To make the best application to our MA Statistics Program, please review ALL of the following before reaching out with questions:

• Admissions FAQs – MA Statistics Website.
• Hybrid FAQs – MA Statistics Website.
• GSAS Admissions FAQs – GSAS Website.
• Admissions Decisions
• Website of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)
• Department of Statistics Website

Application for admission to the program is through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS):   Applying to GSAS.  All admissions materials must be sent to GSAS, not to the Statistics Department.  If you have a question about the application process (timing of exams, how to deliver GRE scores, etc.), please email those questions directly to the GSAS Admissions help desk.

Applicants who submitted an early application, but who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, must upload an updated transcript or submit the Fall Term Grade Report, as soon as the Fall Term grades are available. The transcript is uploaded on the Application Status page, which is the main page upon logging in to SSOL.

Application status can be determined by logging online.

Application Deadlines

Application Deadlines

The Department of Statistics awards a limited number of scholarships to highly qualified applicants. Applicants who wish to be considered for the scholarship are strongly encouraged to apply by January 31st, 2021.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, using the same guidelines. However, applicants who apply by the early application deadline, January 31st, 2021, will receive an admissions decision earlier.  Early applicants will be notified that their application has been accepted, denied, or waitlisted by early March. 

All applications received after January 31st, as well as applicants that were waitlisted during the first round, will be reviewed during the second admissions review window. The deadline for Fall 2021 Admissions is April 30th. 

There are no spring admissions, only fall admissions.  

Admissions Contacts