This spring, the University launched a major effort to raise donations for student financial assistance. The Columbia Student Support Initiative, which involves all sixteen schools, aims to raise $1.4 billion over the next four years for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and other forms of financial assistance that are critical for student success.
University officials say that the new fundraising initiative, which comes in the final year of the $5 billion University-wide Columbia Commitment campaign, serves to establish student financial assistance as a top priority in the campaign’s homestretch and in the years ahead.
“Columbia’s commitment to the support of its students is already deeply instilled in our collective being,” wrote President Lee C. Bollinger in an April 8 letter announcing the new initiative. “It begins with our long-standing policies of need-blind undergraduate admissions and full-need financial aid. This commitment to ensure access to a Columbia education unconstrained by family wealth carries on through every school and program at the University.” He continues: “A Columbia education is transformative for our students, and financial need should not be a barrier to accessing it. We have for many years made financial aid a priority and have dedicated our resources accordingly, but there is more to do. This campaign, and the resulting support for our students, will begin a new era for Columbia.”
To learn more about the initiative, visit giving.columbia.edu.
