Columbia University

H-1B salaries and sponsorship, from 451 certified filings (FY2025–FY2026)

Active H-1B filer · last filed FY2026 Q3
  • Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
  • Headquarters: Manhattan, New York City
  • Founded 1754
  • 20,861 employees (2020)
Median base salary$82,750−33% vs. all H-1B employers
Middle 50%$77.3k–$116.9k
Level II (mid-level) share51%all employers: 42%
Median prevailing wage$78,155the required minimum for these jobs and places

At a glance

  • Columbia University hires mid-level. 51% of its filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B employers.
  • Most filed: Medical Scientist. 35% of its filings. After that come Molecular and Cellular Biologist and Physicist.
  • Mostly above the prevailing wage. 75% of filings are above the prevailing wage. Median offer $82,750, median prevailing wage $78,155.

Is your Columbia University offer competitive?

Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with Columbia University's certified filings for the same job.

10th $72.1k25th $77.3kmedian $82.8k75th $116.9k90th $175k

Enter a salary to see where it falls.

Percentiles from Columbia University's certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Jobs with at least 10 filings.

What Columbia University hires for

Bar: share of Columbia University's filings. Figure: median base salary. Top 10 jobs account for 66% of filings (76 occupations in total).

Show all 6 jobs
JobMedianFilings
Medical Scientist$80,000160
Molecular and Cellular Biologist$80,50046
Physicist$78,34718
Medical School Professor$166,00518
Chemist$74,79412
Biochemist$79,32710

Jobs with at least 10 filings at Columbia University.

Pay by level

$77.3kLevel I
Entry-level · 26% of filings
$134.5kLevel II
Mid-level · 51% of filings
$125.7kLevel III
Senior · 16% of filings
$182.9kLevel IV
Expert · 7% of filings

Level medians mix different jobs, so a higher level can show a lower median. Within one job, pay rises with level.

Show the table

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $77,250 53
Mid-level · Level II $134,455 104
Senior · Level III $125,693 32
Expert · Level IV $182,881 14

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Where Columbia University files

Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.

Show all 1 metro areas
Metro areaMedianFilings
New York, NY$82,750449

Salary details

Median salary$82,750
Middle 50%$77.3k–$116.9k
vs. all employers−33%comparison median $122,699
Filings451FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $63,675 and $461,150.
PercentileSalary
10th$72,116
25th$77,311
50th (median)$82,750
75th$116,886
90th$175,000

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $75k $90k FY2020: median $67,039 (254 filings) FY2021: median $67,753 (298 filings) FY2022: median $70,762 (290 filings) FY2023: median $73,359 (306 filings) FY2024: median $78,675 (276 filings) FY2025: median $83,811 (290 filings) FY2026: median $81,869 (161 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 254 filings FY20 FY2021: 298 filings FY21 FY2022: 290 filings FY22 FY2023: 306 filings FY23 FY2024: 276 filings FY24 FY2025: 290 filings FY25 FY2026: 161 filings FY26 306
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$67,039$57,753$89,874254
FY2021$67,753$63,250$92,327298
FY2022$70,762$66,100$97,904290
FY2023$73,359$66,100$100,000306
FY2024$78,675$73,098$100,000276
FY2025$83,811$77,250$120,000290
FY2026$81,869$78,380$105,000161

Pay vs. prevailing wage

Median offered salary$82,750
Median prevailing wage$78,155
Median difference+5.9%offered salary vs. prevailing wage, per filing
Filed at exactly the prevailing wage25%

Filing at exactly the prevailing wage does not mean low pay: at senior levels and in high-cost areas the prevailing wage itself is high.

Job titles at Columbia University

Job titleMedianMiddle 50%Filings
Associate Research Scientist$81,689$79.3k–$86.9k153
Postdoctoral Research Scientist$73,861$72.1k–$75.3k95
Assistant Professor$163,039$125.6k–$287.5k66
Staff Associate$72,280$65.8k–$82.9k35
Instructor$111,150$97.8k–$125k16
Senior Staff Associate$95,500$86.9k–$107.9k12

Job titles as written on the filings, with at least 10 filings. Middle 50%: 25th–75th percentile.

About Columbia University

Columbia University's filings list its industry as Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (Educational Services sector, NAICS 6113). Its main U.S. filing address is in New York, NY and its filings in the data run from FY2020 to FY2026 Q3. In the latest two fiscal years, the most filed jobs are Medical Scientist, Molecular and Cellular Biologist and Physicist and the main metro areas are New York, NY and Washington, DC. The most common wage level in those years is Level II (mid-level).

Founded
1754
Headquarters
Manhattan, New York City
Employees
20,861 (2020)

Company facts on this page: Wikidata. Salary data: U.S. Department of Labor.

Questions

Does Columbia University sponsor H-1B visas?

Yes. Columbia University filed 451 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications in FY2025–FY2026, the latest two fiscal years. The most recent filing in the data is from FY2026 Q3. A certified LCA is a step before the H-1B petition; it is not a visa approval.

How much does Columbia University pay H-1B workers?

The median base salary on Columbia University's H-1B filings is $82,750; half of filings fall between $77,311 and $116,886. Bonus and stock are not included.