SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

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Responding to Your Admissions Offer

Notification of Admission for MIA and MPA Programs

Admissions decisions for those who apply for fall admission are generally available in early March.  Admissions decisions for those who apply for spring admission are generally available in the middle of November.  An email will be sent notifying you that your decision is available on the online application site.  A hard copy of the admission letter will follow in the mail.

We cannot give notifications by telephone. Unless other instructions are given, hard copy decision letters are mailed to the current address listed on the application form.

Note: To ensure prompt notification, an applicant should keep the admissions office informed of any changes to his or her e-mail address, mailing address, or telephone number during the notification period.

Acceptance Deposit

An applicant accepted into the School of International and Public Affairs is required to submit a $1,000 deposit to the university by the deadline stated in the acceptance letter. The deposit is credited toward the student's tuition upon matriculation and is nonrefundable. Under no circumstances can the acceptance deposit be waived. Students who fail to remit their deposit by the deadline forfeit their place in the entering class. Students who make deposits but do not enroll on the agreed date lose their deposits.

Waiting List

Typically the school places a small number of applicants on an admissions waiting list each year. Students on the waiting list are notified when and if places become available in the entering class. The waiting list is not ranked, nor is there any guarantee that applicants on the list will be granted admission.

Notification, Acceptance Deposit, and Waiting List Information for All Other SIPA Programs

Advanced Standing

The amount of Advanced Standing granted depends upon assessment by the Dean's Office of the quality and relevance of the work. Advanced standing will not be given for language courses and advanced standing will only be awarded for post-baccalaureate courses that were part of a completed graduate degree, with the exception of relevant post-baccalaureate courses taken at Columbia University. At the discretion of the Associate Dean, relevant post-baccalaureate classes completed at Columbia University may count toward advanced standing, but in no circumstances will advanced standing beyond 12 credits be awarded.

Students must have a grade of B or better in courses for which they seek advanced standing credit.

Requests for advanced standing are evaluated by the Student Affairs Office. No evaluation can be performed until initial orientation/registration. For details, see the Advance Standing Policy.

Deferring Your Offer

Please note that the following candidates are NOT eligible for deferment:

  • MPA-MDP candidates
  • MPA-PESP candidates
  • MIA or MPA candidates admitted from the waitlist
  • MIA or MPA candidates admitted for spring

Master of International Affairs/ Master of Public Affairs

Master of International Affairs or Master of Public Affairs candidates may submit a request to defer enrollment for one year with the permission of the Admissions Committee.  Applicants to the Master of Public Administration in Development Practice are not eligible for deferral consideration.

Deferrals are not granted for more than one year. 

Candidates admitted from the waitlist are not permitted to submit a request to defer.

In order to be considered for deferral, accepted applicants must submit an email request outlining their reasons for seeking deferral to the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. The request will be brought before the Admissions Committee for deliberation. If approved a $1,000 deferral deposit is required to secure a space in a future term.  The deferral deposit fee of $1,000 will be added to the enrollment deposit fee for a total deposit of $2,000.  This amount acts as a credit on the student account upon enrollment.

Generally requests are granted only for very compelling reasons.  Reasons the Admissions Committee may consider include medical or family emergencies, or extraordinary professional opportunities.  The Committee does not consider requests from candidates who wish to postpone their enrollment at SIPA in order to attend another academic program prior to enrolling at SIPA. Requests are also not granted if based solely upon financial considerations. The Admissions Committee may ask for documentation to support the deferment request (i.e. letter from employer confirming extraordinary professional opportunity).

Letters requesting deferral must include the following text:

"I understand that this $1,000 deferral deposit is nonrefundable.  If I fail to enroll in the (insert appropriate semester), regardless of reason, both my deposit and my admission offer will be forfeited." 

If the deferral request is approved, the $2,000 combination of nonrefundable enrollment and deferral deposit is credited to the student's account and will count toward tuition if the student enrolls at the expected time.  

The deposit will be applicable only for the agreed upon matriculation date and will not be returned to the applicant under any circumstances. If the candidate does not enroll for the term agreed upon, the admission offer and deposit are forfeited.

The deferral deposit will not be waived or reduced. These policies are very strictly enforced, and we strongly encourage students who cannot enroll in the coming semester to consider reapplying for the semester in which they wish to enroll. The only candidates who should consider deferral are those who are absolutely certain that they can guarantee their enrollment in a specific future semester and who are willing to risk losing the $2,000 total deposit if their plans change.

Please also note that at SIPA only newly admitted students are eligible for fellowship consideration. This means that students who defer are not eligible for fellowship consideration. The reason for this is two-fold.

First, the applicant pool is different from year-to-year. Second, the Admission Committee is different from year-to-year. Because of these factors, only applicants who are reviewed during the corresponding admission cycle are considered for fellowship funding. The Admissions Committee looks very favorably upon reapplications from candidates who were previously offered admission, and although there is no guarantee of readmission, the likelihood is strong. For information on the reapplication process, please see the information on this page:

http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/admissions/reapply.html.

Reapplying for Admissions After Declining Acceptance or Being Rejected

Prospective students who are not offered admission or accepted candidates who choose not to attend SIPA in the year for which they were offered admission may reapply and are often encouraged to do so. Applications are kept on file for two years. One year must pass between applications.

Candidates wishing to reactivate an existing file must submit a new online application, the application fee, an updated C.V./Résumé, transcripts of any college work undertaken or completed after the original application was submitted, and a new personal statement.

The first step that should be taken is to send an email to sipa_admission@columbia.edu stating the intention to reapply to the school and noting the original application date.  This email should precede the submission of a new application and the corresponding materials.

Due to the extremely large number of applicants and limited staff we are unable to respond to individual requests pertaining to why an applicant did not gain admission to our program. For some of the most common reasons regarding why applicants are not admitted to SIPA, please visit our Requesting Feedback page.

See our detailed reapplication instructions if you are interested in reapplying.