Columbia is considering expanding undergraduate enrollment in Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science by up to 20 percent, according to an Oct. 31 email to faculty from the policy and planning committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences obtained by Spectator.
The University anticipates finalizing its decision before releasing early decision admissions results mid-December, according to the email. Its consideration is part of a wave of policy proposals responding to recent shifts in higher education and growing programming concerns within the University.
Facing losses of up to $100 million each month of the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia launched an inquiry during the 2021-22 academic year into expanding its undergraduate population by between 5 and 20 percent. The inquiry resulted in nine faculty reports, which recommended postponing expansion considerations and focusing first on improving “areas of campus life associated with peer-to-peer connection.” At the time, the FAS agreed to postpone expansion discussions.
“In the ensuing years, there have been efforts to address these recommendations,” Ivan Corwin, professor of mathematics and chair of the policy and planning committee, wrote in the email.