Columbia University Under Investigation for Data Breach of Over 800,000 Records

Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP is investigating a data breach impacting the sensitive personal information of 868,969 applicants, students, and employees of Columbia University in New York.

On June 24, 2025, Columbia University became aware of suspicious activity within its information technology systems, which also caused a daylong outage. Columbia University first posted about the data breach on its website on July 2, 2025, but had not yet identified affected individuals.

On August 5, 2025, Columbia University posted an update about the data breach on its website. According to the Data Breach Notice recently sent to affected individuals and state attorney general offices, the ongoing investigation found that an unauthorized actor gained access to Columbia University’s network on or around May 16, 2025, and obtained the following personal information from employees, applicants, and current and former students: contact details, demographic information, academic history, financial aid-related information, insurance-related information and health information.

Although the breach began in May 2025, Columbia University did not begin notifying affected individuals until on or around August 7, 2025, which may have violated state and federal laws. 

If your personal information was impacted by this incident, you may be at risk of identity theft and other serious violations of your privacy. As a result, you may be entitled to money damages and an injunction requiring changes to Columbia University’s cybersecurity practices.

If you received notification of this data breach or are affiliated with Columbia University and wish to obtain additional information about your legal rights, please fill out the form below.