Graduate Student applicants have rated the interview process at Columbia University with 2.7 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 96% positive. To compare, the company-average is 69.9% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Graduate Student roles take an average of 24 days to get hired, when considering 28 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Columbia University overall takes an average of 32 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Columbia University as a Graduate Student according to 28 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 27%
Background check: 17%
One on one interview: 17%
Skills test: 17%
Personality test: 10%
Other: 7%
Presentation: 7%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Feb 2015
Interview
one-on-one interviews by different professors of the program you are applying for. You don't get to chose the professors you will be interviewing with but they usually try to pair you with someone with a similar science background. You meet students the day before the interviews so that you can get a sense of which professor is tough.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Some questions are very science based some are more personal, like "do you like New York" or "why do you want to become a scientist". The science questions about projects you've been working on can be sometimes hard because they ask until you don't know how to answer anymore.
easy, just introduce myself and why you want to apply Columbia, what you want to do in the future and how can this program help you to achieve your goal?
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
what you want to do in the future and how can this program help you to achieve your goal?
1. Application & Screening
Resume/ATS Review: Recruiters or automated systems check your application against the job description.
Initial Screening Call: Often 15–30 minutes with HR or a recruiter to confirm your background, motivation, and availability.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why Columbia University? How do you see yourself in 5 years?
I applied in-person. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Jan 2025
Interview
Three questions randomly asked , and answer within 2 minutes. Most questions are more like getting know more about you. Not very hard.this automated meeting is only you and the camera.