Columbia Admits a Record 1,800 Freshmen Amid Trump Visa Threats

Columbia University is welcoming its largest-ever freshman class, allaying school administrators’ concerns that two years of campus turmoil and a crackdown on US colleges by President Donald Trump would crimp enrollment.

The class of 2029 has 1,806 students, a 20% increase over last year, according to university figures released Friday. The surge followed a big jump in admissions, which one Columbia official said was due to internal worries that some applicants would balk at the tumult that has engulfed the Ivy League school and that more foreign applicants would face visa difficulties.

Instead, commitments largely held firm, said the person, ...