Actual cost of a Columbia MBA

Fixed the chart. Thanks for posting.

If you don't mind my asking, did Columbia give you any fellowships/aid?

Yes but not much. Columbia is unfortunately very stingy with aid. Dean Hubbard acknowledges it but all the fundraising has been focused on the new building so nothing much has happened to change it.

A question. How did you come up with the Metro expenses?

A 30-day unlimited MetroCard is currently $112, or $113 if you get a new card. Two people should be double that. But I guess your spouse doesn't work (and doesn't venture out to other hoods everyday) or you live in a walking distance of Columbia?

Citi bikes are less than $100 A YEAR though the fee is rumored to go up quite a bit in the near future, that's IF you can brave the NYC car traffic and parked cars whose doors can swing open in front of you with no warnings what so ever.

I suspect that your food expenses may be slightly less than those of a single person. Cooking for two people may be saving some. I spend $400 a month in groceries and cheap street-vendor / bodega food like a morning egg and cheese sandwich, without counting real dine-outs on weekends. And I only consume 1000-1200 kcal a day which is perhaps less than what the average person needs, though I only buy organic when it comes to veggies. Cooking just for myself does not save anything in my case (maybe because I don't eat much to begin with) when you take into consideration the monthly gas service fee plus gas.

Your rent for 2 people? seems to be a brownstone studio rent. A single person may need more than one half of that even if they share an apartment with another student, unless the person goes to Queens/ Brooklyn/ the Bronx. I think that Columbia's room / board estimate is 1. for 9 months or so (during the two semesters), not an entire year, and 2. they assume that you share a 1BR or a 1BR converted into 2BR with another person, or 3BR with two other people, each getting a room slightly larger than a jail cell.

Yes I live walking distance to campus so the unlimited would be a waste. If you don't commute 5 days a week on the subway it is more cost effective to pay as you go.


Unfortunately Citi bikes don't go anywhere near campus. They currently stop at 59th St, if you want to bike to school you'll need your own bike.

Yeah this can vary a lot depending on what you eat, type of groceries you buy etc. Although I've never known a situation where eating out is cheaper than cooking.

Rent can vary wildly. I have a ~600 sq ft 1BR however I live in Harlem which is much cheaper. Some people have issues with that or don't feel safe doing that so it's up to you. I would tend to agree though that a single person will pay more than half my rent. If you have a roommate you should be able to have a decent place for under $2,000 though.

Bumping this back to the top with the addition of year 2 numbers. This was an expensive 2 years but you won't regret it.

yes, Manhattan is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you should think of it as a long term investment.

Wow - as Columbia is currently my top choice, these numbers staggered me..

UN-FREAKING-AFFORDABLE!!
$134,980.30 + $ 128,525.75 => Converting to INR => ERROR!



My MBA degree right now be like ->

Thanks for the detailed summary. How does the tuition of J-term differ from normal 2-year program?