The combined-plan program with Columbia University is a 3-2 program meaning that students study for 3 years at Middlebury (and complete major and distribution requirements here), and then study for two years at Columbia. Students will receive a B.A. from Middlebury and a B.S. in an engineering discipline from Columbia. Below you will specific information about the Columbia program.

GPA Requirement

For students who started at Middlebury in Fall 2018 or earlier, Columbia offers guaranteed admission if the applicant has an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a pre-engineering GPA of at least 3.3, as well as grades of B or better in all science courses. See Columbia’s admission page and FAQ for more information.

For students starting at Middlebury in Fall 2019 or later, admission is no longer guaranteed.

Prerequisite Courses

Required courses include foundation courses required for all majors, and additional major-specific courses. They can be found in Columbia’s Pre-Combined Plan Curriculum Guide (see “Important Documents” at this link); also available are Course Descriptions for these courses. The required foundation courses for all majors translate into Middlebury courses as follows:

  • MATH 121 Calculus I
  • MATH 122 Calculus II
  • MATH 223 Multivariable Calculus (Note: unlike for Dartmouth, PHYS 212 cannot be substituted for MATH 223)
  • PHYS 109 Newtonian Physics
  • PHYS 110 Electricity and Magnetism
  • PHYS 111 Thermodynamics, Fluids, Wave Motion, and Optics (strongly recommended)
  • CHEM 103 General Chemistry I
  • CSCI 145 Introduction to Computing OR CSCI 150 Computing for the Sciences
  • ECON 150 Intro Macroeconomics OR ECON 155 Intro Microeconomics 

See a translation of the major-specific courses into Middlebury courses (not fully up to date).

Application

Applications are preferred by February 15 of the student’s junior year. You can find the application form on Columbia’s Combined Plan Program Admissions page.

Also necessary is an application for domestic off-campus study with the Study Abroad office, due February 1.

Financial Aid

Need-based financial aid is available from Columbia; however, only limited financial aid is available for international students. Middlebury financial aid is not transferable to Columbia.

Handout

This handout provides a summary of the Columbia 3-2 dual-degree program.