Advanced Certificate Programs

Advanced Certificate Application Instructions

Teachers College is a graduate institution. In order to be considered for admission to an Advanced Certificate program:

All applicants must have a conferred baccalaureate degree before matriculating at Teachers College.  

When an application account is created, applicants will have the option to select one of the following application options: Degree, Advanced Certificate, Non-Degree. The Advanced Certificate application can be used to apply to one of the programs listed here.

Applicants should select the Advanced Certificate option and the appropriate term of entry (e.g. 2025 Fall Advanced Certificate).

Please note:

  • Advanced Certificate admission does not guarantee future admission as a degree student.
  • Financial aid, housing, academic advisement, and student visa sponsorship are not available to Advanced Certificate students.
  • It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the Office of Admission receives all required materials. After an application is submitted, you may monitor pending application materials via the TC Pathway Portal. Under no circumstances can any application materials submitted to the Office of Admission be returned to the applicant or forwarded to another college, university, or place of business.

STEP 1 - Complete Online Application Form

When completing the application, use a single email address that will not expire before your desired term of entry, as it will be used for all correspondence from the Office of Admission.

In addition to collecting your personal information, the online application form will also serve as the portal to submit the application requirements below. Expand the titles below to learn more about preparing these important required documents.

Your Statement of Purpose should discuss your objectives for pursuing an Advanced Certificate program and how you plan to apply the knowledge from your program to make a constructive impact on both the diverse Teachers College community and in the world beyond. Generally speaking, your Statement of Purpose should be one page max, typed, and double spaced.

Some programs require supplemental materials, such as a letter of recommendation, a writing sample, or additional questions specific to the course of study. Search for your intended program below to see what materials are required.

View application requirements for your desired program and degree.

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Application Requirements:

Additional Information:

STEP 2 - Submit Transcripts

As part of the application for admission, applicants are required to submit up-to-date transcripts reflecting a complete academic history, including all undergraduate and graduate coursework they have completed. Please be sure to add a new institution within your application for every school that has awarded you postsecondary-level course credits, including degree-granting institutions, transfer credit schools, postgraduate enrichment coursework, and study abroad programs. Full course titles, number of credits, and final grades must be reflected on all transcripts. Expand the titles below to read more about how to submit documents that meet our requirements.

To expedite the processing of your application, please utilize the official e-transcript delivery. Transcripts received by postal mail will take longer to process.

If you attended an institution in the United States, you have the option to upload a scanned copy of your transcript—through your online application—to allow for faster application processing. This should be a scanned or electronic copy of a transcript obtained directly from the Office of the Registrar at the issuing institution. Both your name and the name of the institution should be clearly visible.

Uploaded transcripts for degree-granting institutions, transfer credit schools, postgraduate enrichment coursework, and study abroad programs for all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed should include the following information:

  • Full course titles
  • Number of credits
  • Final grades
  • Key or Legend of grades - usually the reverse side of a paper transcript
  • Degree conferral date, if available

Transcripts uploaded by the applicant are considered unofficial. This feature is offered in order to save you time and ensure that a record of your academic progress is included with your submitted application. It eliminates the need to have transcripts mailed to us during the initial processing and review of your application, and precludes any delays resulting from the non-receipt of a transcript.

Only if you are admitted to Teachers College and choose to enroll will you be required to have final, official transcripts submitted by all academic institutions listed on your application. Your offer of admission will be contingent upon the receipt and verification of these official transcripts, which must be submitted directly by the Office of the Registrar (or equivalent office) of their issuing institutions. Failure to supply final official transcripts may impact your ability to register for classes. Teachers College reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission if there is a discrepancy between the uploaded version/evaluation and the official original transcript(s).

While you are not required to submit official transcripts at the point of application, this is recommended to ensure your application is reviewed in its completeness. If your institution provides official electronic transcripts, you may have those transcripts issued to transcripts@tc.columbia.edu. Please note that transcripts that are emailed as an attachment—whether by the institution or the applicant—are considered unofficial.

If your institution does not provide official electronic transcripts, you may have the institution mail your official paper transcript to the following address:

Office of Admission

Teachers College, Columbia University, BOX 302

525 West 120th Street

New York, NY 10027

Applicants who have completed, or are completing, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees at institutions outside of the United States are required to submit a full course-by-course evaluation including verified transcripts for U.S. degree equivalency. The evaluations must be prepared and sent by one of the two providers listed below.

Please note this does not pertain to applicants from the United States who have spent a semester or year studying abroad. This requirement is only applicable for degree-granting institutions.

Teachers College will accept evaluations from the following organizations:

These organizations provide several types of evaluations. Please select the course-by-course evaluation option to ensure your evaluation meets our requirements for admission review. To have your evaluation sent to Teachers College, select "Teachers College - Columbia University" (for WES) and "Teachers College, Columbia University" (for ECE). Evaluations sent to Columbia University will not be received by Teachers College.

Applications are not considered complete without a course-by-course evaluation. The determination of degree equivalency to a U.S. degree is at the discretion of the College. Once submitted to Teachers College, the evaluation becomes an official academic record and sole property of Teachers College upon its receipt.

 

Applicants who attended institutions outside of the United States but did not complete degrees must submit these transcripts in order to be considered for admission review. Please note that if these transcripts are not in English, they must be accompanied by certified English translations. As with U.S.-based institutions, copies should be uploaded to your online application to ensure timely processing. If you are admitted to Teachers College and choose to enroll, you will be required to have final, official transcripts submitted by all academic institutions listed on your application. It is recommended that you also request official transcripts from the issuing institution as early as possible, as international transcript requests may be delayed.

Please note: Course-by-course evaluations must clearly state that you have earned or will be earning the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree upon completion of your program. If you are admitted to Teachers College and your in-progress WES or ECE course-by-course evaluation does not indicate that you will earn the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree, you will be expected upon conferral to submit a second course-by-course evaluation from WES or ECE confirming you have earned the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's degree. You will not be able to register for classes at Teachers College without fulfilling this requirement.

STEP 3 - Submit Proof of English Proficiency (If Required)

If your native language is not English and you have not received a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree from an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, you must submit official scores from an accepted English proficiency exam. We accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

In order to be considered official, scores must be sent directly from the testing administrator and have been taken within the past 2 years. 

The accepted tests and minimum scores are:

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum score requirement: 100 internet-based test (IBT)
    Teachers College institution code: 2905
  • IELTS English Language Test - Minimum score requirement: 7.0

Note: Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Applied Linguistics have different English proficiency requirements and policies, refer to the program website for details.

If you have taken the TOEFL exam multiple times and your MyBest Score meets our minimum score requirement, please order an official score report that reflects your MyBest Score to be sent to Teachers College. Then, please contact the Office of Admission at admission@tc.columbia.edu to ensure that your MyBest Score is reflected in your application. We do not require individual score reports if a MyBest Score is submitted.

If you have not earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, but you have successfully completed a graduate degree at a school that meets this criteria, you are not required to submit official results from an accepted English proficiency exam. If you meet these conditions, in order to qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS exam waiver, evidence of your conferred graduate degree must be displayed on the relevant academic transcript or course-by-course evaluation.

STEP 4 - Submit Application and Application Fee

In order to officially submit the application you must complete the signature section of the online degree application and then select "Submit Application." You will then be prompted to submit the non-refundable $75 application fee. Applicants may only apply to one program per admission cycle.

Check Your Application Status Page (and Your Email)

Please note, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the Office of Admission receives all required materials by the application deadline. Our deadlines are received-by deadlines. Our TC Pathway Portal allows you to see a live checklist reflecting your required documents so that you can track what has been received. If you submitted something, but it looks like we haven’t received it, please reach out to our office at admission@tc.columbia.edu for guidance. 

Be sure to check your email regularly to avoid delays in application processing. The official notification of your decision will come directly from the Office of Admission.

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