Spring Letter to New Students

Visit our Lionmail @ Columbia page

Log in to your Columbia email and learn how to set it up on your computer, phone, and other devices. Check this email account regularly for important messages from your School, Faculty, and administration.

Upload A Photograph to Obtain Your Student ID Card

New students receive ID Cards from their home Schools during the orientation programs. New students are REQUIRED to upload their own photos. Please upload your photo as far in advance as possible before your arrival on campus. Your ID card WILL NOT be available at the ID Center for pickup. New Students receive their ID Cards from their Schools.

Pay Your Tuition and Fees

Student Financial Services (SFS) generates the first Spring 2025 Student Account Statement, and it was emailed to you on Monday, December 16, 2024. The payment deadline is Friday, January 31, 2025. Your statement outlines the balance owed to the University. Visit the SFS website to learn more about how to view and understand your bill, set up an authorized payer, make a payment, and enroll in a payment plan.

You must monitor your account activity in Student Services Online (Vergil/SSOL), the student portal, so you are aware of your balance owed and any changes to the Amount Due provided to you on the first statement. You can visit the SFS website, Find Tuition and Fees, to verify the charges on your account based on your School’s tuition and fee structure. 

The University does not produce paper bills. You will receive an alert at your [email protected] email address from [email protected] reminding you that your electronic billing (E-Bill) statement is ready.

Note that online payments via QuikPay eCheck or wire transfer are the preferred methods of payment. Checks sent by mail can experience extended delays in mail service that can result in Holds or late fees applied to your account when the payment is not received by the due date. Please allow sufficient time (approximately two to four weeks) for mailing and processing if you mail a check or have the payment sent from a College savings plan.

eCheck payments or payment plan agreements must be made online by 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, January 31, 2025.  Please visit the SFS website (Unpaid Bills) for more details regarding outstanding balances to the University.

iGrad is a complimentary, web-based financial literacy platform that provides lifetime, no-cost, personalized financial wellness education and loan management resources to users at hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide -- including Columbia. iGrad offers an array of interactive tools, video tutorials, webinars, quizzes, articles, and other resources to help you understand your finances. Non-affiliate students have access to their complimentary iGrad account both now and after completion of their studies.

The University uses the term Withdrawal to formally indicate that a student has dropped or will drop all courses for a given term. Withdrawing differs from dropping courses within a given term because as long as a student retains at least one course, he or she is still considered registered for that term. You will not be permitted to drop the last course on your record. Instead, you must consult with your adviser about the Withdrawal process. 

A Withdrawal is done in consultation with the deans or advisors in your School -- but is initiated by the student in almost all cases. A statement will be added to your transcript indicating that you have withdrawn from the University.

Withdrawing from your program impacts your financial obligation to the University. In most cases, ancillary fees will remain on your account in addition to a $75.00 withdrawal fee. The timing of your withdrawal also affects the amount of tuition you are refunded. See here for the Refund Rate for Withdrawals and additional information.

New Students may not be permitted to register until they have participated in orientation or consulted with their adviser. You will be assigned a registration group that will allow you to register during specific time periods. Registration appointment times can be viewed in SSOL. 

Before your registration appointment time, you should begin the course planning process in Vergil. Vergil brings together in one convenient location all of the information you will need to effectively plan your course Registration and Enrollment. Courses must be added to your Planner Schedule in Vergil before you can import them to SSOL

Submit Required Immunization Documentation

New York State law and University policy articulate several pre-matriculation Immunization requirements that all students, regardless of credit load, must complete before they are permitted to register for classes. 

Documentation must be submitted via the Patient Portal (step-by-step instructions) upon admission or at least 30 days prior to your scheduled Registration date. Compliance with all Vaccine requirements must be confirmed before the Immunization Hold is lifted on course Registration.

Confirm Enrollment or Submit a Waiver Request for Health Insurance Before February 15, 2025

All registered full-time domestic students and all international students are required to have health insurance. By February 15, 2025, students must confirm Enrollment (step-by-step instructions) in the Columbia University Student Health Insurance Plan (the Columbia Plan) or request a waiver by documenting Enrollment in another plan that meets the University’s coverage criteria (step-by-step instructions) on the Patient Portal. 

Part-time domestic students are encouraged, but not required, to have health insurance. Part-time domestic students can opt to enroll in the Columbia Plan. 

Note: Part-time students who enroll in the Columbia Plan and all full-time students are required to pay the Columbia Health and Related Services Fee ($694 per semester) to access on-campus health programs. This is a mandatory fee and cannot be waived. 

For students on the Morningside campus, visit the Columbia Health website to view the health insurance premium amount. The health insurance premium is $3,067 for coverage starting January 1 to August 14, 2025.

All registered students are eligible to enroll in the voluntary Vision or Dental Insurance Plan, regardless of health insurance provider. Learn more about these plans and how to enroll.

Complete the Student Health History Form

All incoming students are expected to complete the Student Health History Form prior to their arrival on campus to ensure a smooth transition of care. Complete the form on the Patient Portal (Medical Clearances section).

Update Your Contact Information and Emergency Text Status

To update your addresses and enroll in text message emergency notifications:

Go to vergil.columbia.edu and log in using your UNI (University Network ID) and password.

Click on the “Keep Your personal Info Up-to-Date!” panel on the dashboard or click on the Personal Information link under the My Info section of the “Student Records” Panel.

On the Personal Information page, add or update your Addresses, Phone Numbers, and Emergency Contacts.

You are required to provide a Local Address to ensure accurate delivery of stipends or refunds.

You can opt out of receiving Emergency Text Notifications to any Cell Phone number added.

Note that the University only uses the Emergency Notification system to communicate with you in the event of an emergency (as well as a twice-yearly system test). Columbia will not send you text communications through this system for any other reason.

Visit the preparedness website for further instructions and additional details on just-in-case emergency preparedness.

Learn about Other Important Resources

• Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT): printing services, as well as free licensed software for computer security and other applications.
• The Student Consumer Information website provides the required disclosure of information about the University’s academic programs, costs, educational records, facilities, policies, and more.
• University Policy site: Important policies you need to follow.
• Columbia Transportation services: Intercampus shuttle and on-demand evening service facilitated by Via.