All students must submit one transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a Statement of Academic Purpose, a writing sample and three letters of evaluation from academic sources.
The statement of academic purpose allows the university to evaluate your ability to succeed academically and the reasons you wish to undertake the degree. It should describe your academic interests and plans for graduate study at Columbia, mention relevant coursework, professional experience or other activity, and explain clearly the relation of your studies to your plans upon receiving the MA.

The writing sample should be a paper of 15 to 20 pages, or a similarly-sized coherent excerpt from a longer paper that you have written for a course. Alternatively, you may provide a focused essay written in an academic style that examines an article, book, exhibit, or event relevant to your field of interest.

The Graduate School requires the following minimum scores:

600 on the TOEFL paper-and-pencil test
100 on the TOEFL internet-based test
7.5 on IELTS