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 fifth oldest in the United States. The University is one of the world's most important centres of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions.

The University offers an outstanding and comprehensive array of academic programs. These include three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, a world-renowned medical centre, four affiliated colleges and seminaries, twenty-five libraries, and more than one hundred research canters and institutes.

Columbia's Morning side Heights campus is located at Broadway and 116th Street in Manhattan. The Medical Centre is located at West 168th Street and Broadway, immediately southeast of the George Washington Bridge in northern Manhattan. The Manhattanville Campus Built on the existing street grid north from 125th Street.