Following tense campus protests and intense scrutiny from the federal government , Columbia University will start considering a civil-discourse credential as part of its undergraduate admissions process .

On top of a personal essay and high school transcript, this year’s applicants can submit completion certificates or portfolios from Schoolhouse.world’s “Dialogues” program . Students practice having respectful conversations about Israel-Palestine, free speech, immigration and other hot-button issues that have rattled the Morningside Heights campus in recent years.

Participation is optional. Columbia is one of six universities nationwide to consider the credential in admissions, after some schools, including MIT and Vanderbilt University , recently dropped a pilot version of t

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