Between the academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26, the cost of attending Columbia Business School's MBA program has steadily increased, though the rate and nature of changes vary across categories.
Tuition Fee Inflation – 12.75% Increase (4-year trend)
Beginning with tuition, students paid $80,472 in 2022–23. This rose to $84,496 in 2023–24, reflecting a 5 % increase. The upward trend continued in 2024–25, with tuition reaching $88,300, a 4.51 % rise. In 2025–26, tuition climbed again to $91,172, marking a 3.25 % increase from the previous year. While tuition has consistently increased each year, the rate of growth has slightly decelerated over time, indicating a gradual effort to moderate fee inflation.
Mandatory Fee Inflation – 57.7% Increase (4-year trend)
Mandatory fees saw a much steeper increase in earlier years. From $4,103 in 2022–23, they jumped to $5,633 in 2023–24, representing a sharp 37.3 % increase—the highest year-over-year growth in this category. The growth slowed in 2024–25, with fees rising to $5,857, a modest 3.97 % increase. In 2025–26, the fees further increased to $6,473, rising by 10.5 %. Overall, mandatory fees increased by more than 57.7 % over the four-year period, showing significant expansion in student services or administrative costs.
Health Insurance Inflation – 2.4% Decrease (4-year trend)
Health insurance presents a more irregular trend.
In 2022–23, students paid $5,497, but this fell to $4,541 in 2023–24, a notable 17.4 % decrease.
This drop was reversed the following year, as the cost increased to $4,955 in 2024–25, marking a 9.1 % rise.
The upward trend continued into 2025–26, with the cost reaching $5,367, a further 8.3 % increase.
Despite the fluctuations, the overall health insurance cost declined slightly by 2.4 % over the four years, which is unusual in comparison to trends at other schools.
Books and Supplies Inflation – 290% Increase (4-year trend)
A striking jump is visible in the books and supplies category. The cost remained flat at $320 for both 2022–23 and 2023–24. However, it surged dramatically to $1,250 in 2024–25, an increase of 290.6 %, and remained at the same level in 2025–26. This one-time increase suggests either a policy change in how course materials are billed or a shift toward bundled or required digital resources.
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Food and Housing – 14.7% Increase (4-year trend)
Food and housing expenses remained unchanged between 2022–23 and 2023–24, holding steady at $24,822. In 2024–25, however, the cost rose to $27,396, an increase of 10.4 %. This was followed by a more modest 3.9 % increase to $28,476 in 2025–26. Over four years, food and housing costs rose by 14.7 %, with the most significant shift occurring between 2023–24 and 2024–25, likely reflecting increased rent and living costs in New York City.
Personal Expenses – Atypical 22.6% Decrease (4-year trend)
Personal expenses show an atypical decline. From $6,246 in 2022–23 and 2023–24, the cost dropped to $4,500 in 2024–25, representing a substantial 27.9 % decrease. It rose slightly to $4,833 in 2025–26, a 7.4 % increase from the previous year. Despite the modest rebound, this category still saw an overall decrease of 22.6 % over the four years, which may reflect a reassessment of student discretionary spending estimates.
Total Cost – 13.3% Increase (4-year trend)
Finally, the total first-year budget increased from $121,460 in 2022–23 to $126,058 in 2023–24, a 3.78 % rise. The budget continued to grow in 2024–25, reaching $132,258, an increase of 4.92 %.
In 2025–26, the total budget rose again to $137,571, reflecting a 4.02 % rise. Over the four years, the total cost rose by 13.3 %.
In summary, Columbia’s MBA budget from 2022 to 2026 shows a measured but consistent upward trend, driven primarily by tuition, housing and mandatory fees.
Tuition increases have remained steady, while sharp spikes in mandatory fees and books indicate institutional changes or rising service costs.
Notably, personal expenses and health insurance have not followed the broader inflationary trend, suggesting adjustments in budgeting assumptions rather than actual cost deflation.
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| Expenses | Columbia MBA 2022-23 | Columbia MBA 2023-24 | Columbia MBA 2024-25 | Columbia MBA 2025-26 |
| Tuition | $80,472 | $84,496 | $88,300 | $91,172 |
| Mandatory Fees | $4,103 | $5,633 | $5,857 | $6,473 |
| Health Insurance | $5,497 | $4,541 | $4,955 | $5,367 |
| Books & Supplies | $320 | $320 | $1,250 | $1,250 |
| Food & Housing | $24,822 | $24,822 | $27,396 | $28,476 |
| Personal Expenses | $6,246 | $6,246 | $4,500 | $4,833 |
| Total First-Year Budget | $121,460 | $126,058 | $132,258 | $137,571 |