New Students
Greetings from the College of Dental Medicine! We're looking forward to having you join us in the fall.
You'll find important information on this page about housing, orientation, and much more. We'll also be sending you emails a few weeks before you arrive that will include details and online tutorials you'll need to complete before you arrive.
If you haven’t already, please join the Class of 2025 Facebook page and start getting to know your classmates!
Please contact anyone at the Office of Student Affairs with questions or concerns.
Important Dates
Check-in Day: TBD
Orientation: TBD
White Coat Ceremony: TBD
First Day of Classes: TBD
Activating your UNI
Your UNI is your University Identifier. It is made up of the first letters of your first and last names followed by a series of numbers. Many of the resources at Columbia require you to log in using your UNI and password.
You will be asked for your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number, and your date of birth. Please follow all directions carefully after that.
If you have followed the instructions correctly, you will receive a confirmation that your uni@columbia.edu has been properly setup. At this point you will have access to you ID number which starts with C followed by 9 numeric digits. You can find this number by logging into Student Services Online with your UNI.
You should activate your UNI at: https://cuit.columbia.edu/cuit/manage-my-uni
University Email Accounts
Email accounts at the Columbia University Irving Medical Campus (CUIMC) are exchange email accounts and follow much more strict protocol than other university emails due to the sensitive nature of patient information for our clinical students. You will receive instructions via email about setting up your email.
PLEASE DO NOT set up any other Columbia email account besides the uni@cumc.columbia.edu PLEASE DO NOT SET UP LIONMAIL, alias email accounts, or anything besides a CUMC exchange account. If you set up anything else, it will create extra steps and confusion when we need to get your email properly configured.
Health Service
All new students must complete and return health forms. You must also complete certain medical requirements (immunizations, physicals, etc.).
Student Health Service has all the information you'll need about pre-registration health requirements for the College of Dental Medicine. Because of deadlines and specific time frames for vaccinations, please visit the website and begin addressing these requirements early. Please note all health requirements must be completed by end of June 2021 (deadline will be published soon).
Learn About Pre-Registration Health Requirements
Financial Aid
The Office of Student Financial Aid & Planning serves as a resource and link to your funding sources. We provide financial literacy and debt management counseling for the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and for the College of Dental Medicine. It is important to become an "educated consumer" and learn all that you can about the options that are available, given your personal financial situation. We will provide information, but keep in mind that financial aid is an environment subject to constant change due to new legislation and regulations.
Your class will be assigned to a financial aid officer who will determine “need” and will prepare your financial aid offer. You can begin the process by completing the Aid Type Request Form on NetPartner. You will receive an email from our Office with instructions on how to access NetPartner.
Student Financial Aid Welcome Letter
Understanding Types of Aid
Interschool Scholarships
Comparing Financial Aid Awards
International Students
Continuing Financial Aid Recipients
Orientation
Orientation is mandatory for incoming College of Dental Medicine students.
Orientation consists of mandatory information sessions intended to introduce you to the College of Dental Medicine and the Columbia University Medical Center Campus. You will meet key administrators and faculty members who will be instrumental throughout your education here. There are also events, organized by the Class of 2024 Orientation Committee, designed to acclimate you to the city and your classmates. You will be contacted by the Orientation Committee during the next few months with more information about orientation fees and events.
White Coat Ceremony
The symbolic White Coat Ceremony officially welcomes first-year students into the dental profession. This proud and historic ceremony for all incoming students and their parents kicks off Orientation Week.
Change of Address
Anyone who has a change of address should notify our office in writing, including the dates the address will be valid, and the new telephone number. As an incoming student, you are responsible for responding to all formal requests throughout the summer, regardless of your summer plans or location.
Housing
Please visit the on campus housing page for information on applying. Applications for new students are accepted between April 15- June 1. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique considerations within NYC, it is best to anticipate delays on housing decisions.
https://www.cumc.columbia.edu/facilities-management/campus-life/housing/students
Office of Disability Services
Disability Services (DS) facilitates access for students with disabilities by coordinating accommodations and services, thereby cultivating a culture that is sensitive and responsive to the needs of students. DS works with students with all types of disabilities including physical, psychological, sensory, learning disabilities, AD/HD, temporary injuries and chronic medical conditions. The registration process can take 3-5 weeks to complete and can be initiated any time. However, it is strongly recommended that you contact DS with these timeframes in mind so that accommodations can be determined in advance of any in-class assessments and exams. While we will do our best to expedite the review process, please note that DS cannot guarantee eligibility will be determined without sufficient time for review and to implement any approved accommodations, typically 3-5 weeks.
Please visit the Disability Services website at https://health.columbia.edu/content/disability-services for detailed information regarding the registration process including the registration form, appropriate forms and documentation guidelines.
Additionally, if you have questions, please email them at disability@columbia.edu
ID Card Photo
The “Web Photo Submission Application” for new students entering in the Fall 2021 is now available. Please note that the deadline to submit a photo online is July 9, 2021.
You will be able log-in to the application through the ID Center website https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/id-center
There, you can upload a JPEG photo, make necessary adjustments and then submit the photo directly into the ID card system. The photo will be reviewed and approved (or denied if not meeting outlined criteria) by the ID Center. You will receive an email confirmation upon photo approval or notified if a new photo is required.