Founded in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of England, Columbia University  is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the USA.

Columbia University is one of the leading centers of research in the world and provides a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University is ranked in top ten in the world in several ranking lists.

The University hosted 24,923 enrolled students and 3,573 faculty in 2008-2009 academic year.

Seventy-eight Columbians—including alumni, faculty, adjunct faculty, researchers and administrators—have won a Nobel Prize at some point in their careers and The University's current faculty includes nine Nobel laureates.

For further information: http://www.columbia.edu/