Self-Guided Campus Tour

Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King’s College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the tenth oldest in the United States. Today, Columbia University is an international center of scholarship, with a pioneering undergraduate curriculum and renowned graduate and professional programs. After the American Revolution, the University reopened in 1784 with a new name—Columbia University in the City of New York.

Columbia University comprises 20 schools including Columbia College, Law School, Columbia Climate School, Journalism School, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, School of Social Work, School of Professional Studies, and School of General Studies, just to name a few. 

Admitted students will arrive on campus for Check-In Day at Lerner Hall, where we will start our tour. Here, you will receive your Columbia ID and lanyard. Remember to bring your state ID or passport on the day of check-in so we can verify your identity and provide you with your Columbia ID card. You will also receive a student handbook and some Columbia swag at check-in. 

The University ID card is your passport to Columbia. It grants you access to academic buildings, libraries, and other secure locations on campus. Your ID also allows you to purchase services at campus cafes and the University Bookstore; and it enables you to take advantage of cultural discount programs in New York City. Students must have their ID with them at all times while they are on campus. Residential students will use their ID to access their dorm building and individual room. Your Columbia ID card will also allow you to print on campus for no additional cost. 

Alfred Lerner Hall is Columbia University’s student center. Many summer events and activities will be held here. On the lower level of Lerner, we have the Bookstore, where you can purchase Columbia gear. On the first floor, we have Cafe East. On the third floor, we have Ferris Booth Commons, a buffet-style dining hall, and on the fifth floor, we have the commuter lounge, where commuter students may rest and network with other commuter students. 

Facing north, across from Lerner Hall, you’ll see Pulitzer Hall, the journalism building, named after its donor, Joseph Pulitzer, the man behind the Pulitzer Prize for journalism and the arts. Pulitzer was a brilliant but aggressive journalist who was later associated with the term “yellow journalism.” You’ll see the statue of Thomas Jefferson, the champion of states’ rights (outside the building)—and opposite him to the east is Alexander Hamilton, a federalist and his political counterpoint.  

Behind Lerner Hall is Carman Hall, and between Lerner Hall and Pulitzer Hall is Furnald Hall. Carman Hall and Furnald Hall are both first-year residence halls where we also house the Pre-College Program residential students.

Exiting Lerner Hall heading east, you will see Butler Library. 

Butler is one of 16 libraries on Columbia’s campus and became the main library after we outgrew Low Library. Notice the names of famous authors etched into the facade of Low—a nod to the Core Curriculum that is the hallmark of being a Columbia undergraduate student.

As a Pre-College student, you have access to all the libraries to which undergraduate students have access, but most summer students prefer Butler Library. 

At Butler, you may schedule meetings with writing specialists and librarians to receive help navigating the libraries and finding the necessary resources for your work. 

Across from Butler is Low Library, and in front of Low is the Alma Mater statue—the two most enduring symbols of Columbia University. 

Low Memorial Library is a landmark building and functions as the administrative center of the University and houses the offices of the president and the provost. The building has not served as a library since Butler Library opened in 1934 across College Walk. Low Memorial Library was the first academic building on the Morningside Heights campus. One of the most impressive features of Low is its rotunda topped by the largest all-granite dome in the country and designed to recall the Pantheon in Rome. The rotunda was originally the library’s main reading room.

The Alma Mater statue is a landmark of our campus and has been featured in numerous photos taken by students and visitors alike. The statue was originally gilded, though none of the gold color remains. There is an owl symbolizing wisdom famously hidden somewhere in the statue; students often try to find it during their first days here.

Walking farther east of the Butler Library, we arrive at John Jay Hall. John Jay is also one of the dorms for our Pre-College students and houses Health Services on the 4th floor. All of our rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, and each floor has single-use bathrooms. All summer residential students’ dorms are either single rooms or double rooms; if you’re assigned to a double room, you’ll be paired with a roommate. Your roommate will be assigned randomly. 

Now let’s talk a little about safety. All over campus, you will find emergency call boxes with blue lights on top that will trigger an immediate response if you need help or feel threatened in any way. Campus safety will arrive within one minute. Safety is our No. 1 priority, which is why 
all students must swipe their ID card to enter the dorms. 

While on campus, students are welcome to enroll in a dining plan with Columbia. Residential students’ dining is covered in their program cost. Commuter students may choose between Flexible Meal Options, Dining Dollars, or Flex. Flexible Meal Options may vary in terms of the number of meals per week or meals per term and include guest meals should family or friends visit. Dining Dollars can be used like cash at any of our on-campus dining locations. Finally, Flex allows you to put money into an account that you can spend using your University ID card at all Columbia Dining locations, as well as a number of other merchants on and off campus and for online food delivery.

Across the grass fields from John Jay, facing north, you will see Hamilton Hall, where some of our classes are held.

Hamilton Hall is home to Columbia College, one of the most prestigious undergraduate institutions in the world. It’s named after the great statesman Alexander Hamilton—you can see his statue in front of the building. Hamilton entered King’s College in the fall of 1774, where he studied mathematics, wrote pamphlets in support of the Continental Congress, and gave speeches applauding the Boston Tea Party. In 1784, Hamilton and fellow state legislator John Jay were instrumental in reviving King’s College as Columbia College. 

Walking north, pass Hamilton Hall, and across the college walk, you will see the Alma Mater statue up close. On your right, you will see Kent Hall and stairs connecting to Revson Plaza overlooking Amsterdam Avenue. 

The immediate area surrounding campus is Morningside Heights. There are many cafes and restaurants here. One of the greatest features of Columbia’s campus is that it is a foodie’s paradise. A multitude of cuisines are available nearby, from Ethiopian to Mexican and from mass-produced burgers with fries to locally sourced vegan-friendly meals.

Students must stay within 110th and 120th Streets (north/south), and between Amsterdam Avenue and Riverside Drive (east/west). Residential and commuter students are not allowed to go to Morningside and Riverside Parks without being accompanied by a Pre-College staff member.

Residential students have a full slate of optional evening and weekend activities, including museums and neighborhood tours. For an extra fee, students may attend sporting events and Broadway shows. There will also be a number of free tickets available by lottery.

Walking to the other end of the plaza, down the stairs, and then further north toward Uris Hall, you will pass by Avery Hall and Schermerhorn Hall. Avery Hall is another building where students may have classes. The film Hitch, starring Will Smith, was filmed inside Avery Hall.

To the east of Uris is Schermerhorn Hall. This is where Thomas Morgan Hunt conducted his fruit fly experiments leading to the first Nobel Prize in medicine for genetics. 

The Pre-College Program Student Affairs Office is located on the 4th floor of Uris Hall. If you have any questions while you are here—including if you need to leave campus, if you lost your ID card, etc.—please do not hesitate to stop by. Directly west of Uris Hall is the entrance to Dodge Physical Fitness Center.

Three-week commuter and residential students have access to the Dodge Physical Fitness Center. The center features three belowground levels of exercise equipment. The center also has an indoor track, an 8-lane swimming pool, a basketball arena, and squash and racquetball courts. Outdoor sports competitions are held at Baker Athletic Complex, located at 218th Street. The Department of Physical Education & Recreation offers a variety of classes and training to members of Dodge Physical Fitness Center. 

Pre-College classroom buildings include:

• Pupin Hall Pupin Hall is one of the science buildings north of Uris Hall where scientists conducted some of the initial research to split the atom for the Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the nuclear bomb.
• Havemeyer Hall West of Uris Hall is Havemeyer Hall, a National Historic Chemical Landmark, Havemeyer Hall is devoted to the study and application of chemistry. Pioneering research conducted here led to several researchers receiving the Nobel Prize. Room 309, the grand lecture hall in the center of Havemeyer, has been featured in a number of films, including Spider-Man, Malcolm X, Kinsey, and Ghostbusters. In front of Havemeyer stands Scholars Lion, a popular photo spot.
• Mudd
• Fairchild
• Philosophy
• Engineering Terrace
• Schapiro

Walking south of Havemeyer Hall, you will pass the Mathematics building and Earl Hall before stopping outside Lewisohn Hall. Lewisohn Hall is the home of the School of Professional Studies and the School of General Studies and where you will find the Pre-College Admissions Team. 

Be mindful that some buildings don’t start on the 1st floor. For example, in Lewisohn, the floor where you enter is the 3rd floor. 

Walking south of Lewisohn, you will see Dodge Hall and the stairs leading back to College Walk.