Educational Financing Counseling

The Office of Educational Financing is the primary source of financial aid counseling for students at the School of General Studies. Students who seek financial aid counseling, veteran education benefits counseling, and other aid-related topics are asked to make an appointment online.

Appointments are only listed if they are available. If none are listed, keep checking back for additional availability.

Counseling Appointments

The Office of Educational Financing dedicates time each weekday morning and afternoon for student counselors appointments, which are limited to 30 minutes in length. Counseling appointments* can be booked two weeks in advance for the 2:30 - 4 p.m. appointments. 

*Counseling appointments are typically meant for in-depth educational counseling issues and long-term planning. These appointments are usually the best way for a student to start planning the process for managing Columbia educational costs.

Examples of questions that require an counseling appointment include:

  • What if I change my enrollment level?
  • How will getting married/divorced affect my educational financing?
  • My employment status is changing – what are my options?

U.S. Military Veteran Benefits Counseling

It is our goal in the GS Office of Educational Financing to ensure that all veteran students needing assistance, information, and counseling on both veteran-specific educational benefits and federal, state, and GS institutional aid options have efficient access to counseling. Recognizing students' busy schedules, we strive to ensure that wait times for seeing a counselor for veteran and/or financial aid concerns is kept to a minimum. To best serve students, office hours for veterans education benefits counseling are structured in a similar fashion to all office hours in the GS Office of Educational Financing. Please plan accordingly.

Schedule an Appointment

Appointment Preparation 

We recommend students review outstanding financial aid materials in the online financial aid portal prior to meeting with a counselor.

Expedited Appointment Scheduling 

Current students and incoming students who have accepted their offer of admission should schedule their appointments via the Columbia GS Student Success Portal.

Access the Student Success Portal

Note: Newly admitted students who have not yet accepted their offer of admission or submitted their tuition deposit can schedule a Newly Admitted Student Appointment.

If you have not been assigned an Educational Financing counselor and are trying to schedule an appointment, please contact our office. 

[email protected]
(212) 854-5410