Columbia University vs Yale University: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Columbia University and Yale University are about equally selective, admitting 4.2% and 4.2% of applicants respectively. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $8,186 per year at Columbia University versus $7,688 at Yale University. Admitted students post SAT middle-50% ranges of 1510–1560 at Columbia University and 1480–1560 at Yale University.

Columbia University vs Yale University: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricColumbia UniversityYale University
Overall acceptance rate4.2%4.2%
Early acceptance rate13.2%10.9%
SAT middle 50%1510–15601480–1560
Avg unweighted GPA3.933.95
Yield rate61.0%68.4%
Class size1,4831,633
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$8,186$7,688
Net price, over $110,000 income$40,538$37,331

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2025–26 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Columbia University harder to get into than Yale University?

The two are about equally selective: Columbia University admits 4.2% of applicants and Yale University admits 4.2%, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Columbia University or Yale University?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $8,186 per year at Columbia University and $7,688 at Yale University, so Yale University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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