School of General Studies

The School of General Studies, or GS as it is known, was formed out of the University Extension Program in 1947. It became Columbia's fourth undergraduate school. It initially served to educate GIs returning from World War II. GS originally had its own faculty and degree programs. In the 1980s it was separated from the Division of Continuing Education. In 1990, its faculty merged into the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Since then, the classes available to GS students are generally the same as those available to Columbia College students. The median age of GS students is 29.