Columbia University

Predating the American Revolution, Columbia University (founded as King's College in 1754) is the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the US. With a student population of about 25,000 and faculty of more than 3,600, the Ivy League university's main campus spreads across 36 acres in Manhattan. Columbia has three undergraduate schools and 13 graduate and professional schools that grant degrees in about 100 disciplines, including its well-known programs in literature, law, and medicine. Columbia's community of alumni, faculty, and researchers has produced about 80 Nobel laureates, including nine of its current faculty. Columbia operates four affiliated colleges and seminaries in New York City.