1. Excellence in Education
1.1. Outstanding Faculty
1.1.1. 9 Current Nobel Prize Winners
1.1.2. 30 McArthur Foundation Award Winners
1.1.3. 4 National Medal of Science Winners
1.1.4. 43 National Academy of Sciences Award winners
1.1.5. 20 National Academy of Engineering Award winners
1.1.6. 38 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Award recipients
1.1.7. 143 American Academy of Arts and Sciences Award winners
1.2. Access to Resources (Libraries)
1.2.1. Columbia Students have access to over 30 libraries as well as access to electronic and digital collections.
2. Meaningful Contributions to Society
2.1. Research Development
2.1.1. A World Leader in Health Care Research
2.1.1.1. First Successful child heart transplant
2.1.1.2. Nobel Winning developments in Cardiac Catheterization
2.1.1.3. development of bacitracin
2.1.1.4. oldest program in nurse midwifery
2.1.1.5. identifcation of cystic fibrosis
2.2. Philanthropy
2.2.1. Long-standing tradition of historical, critical, and creative engagement in the visual arts.
3. Diverse & Impressive Student Population
3.1. 97% of Columbia students were in the top 10% of their high school class.
3.2. Columbia has the fifth largest number of international students of any college or university in the U.S.
3.3. Has more students receiving the Fulbright Grant for study abroad than any other university.
4. Graduate and Professional Schools
4.1. Architecture, Planning & Preservation
4.2. Columbia School of the Arts
4.3. Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
4.4. Columbia School of Business
4.5. School of Continuing Education
4.6. College of Dental Medicine
4.7. Engineering
4.8. (School of International and Public Affairs) SIPA
4.9. Jewish Theological Seminary
4.10. School of Journalism
4.11. Law
4.12. College of Physicians and Surgeons
4.13. School of Nursing
4.14. Mailman School of Public Health
4.15. Columbia School of Social Work
4.16. Teacher's College
4.17. Union Theological Seminary
5. Reputation
5.1. Highly Selective
5.1.1. in 2011, Columbia University only accepted 6% of applicants, making it the 2nd most selective university behind Harvard University
5.2. Well-known Alumnai
5.2.1. Nobel-Prize Winners
5.2.2. 3 US Presidents (Including Barack Obama)
5.2.3. 29 Heads of State
5.2.4. 25 Academy Award Winners
5.2.5. 9 Supreme Court Justics