Columbia University represents itself using several symbols, including a university seal and a coat of arms. The seal was first adopted in 1755, shortly after the university's founding, and with few variations continues to be used today. The coat of arms was adopted by the university in 1949. Additionally, the individual schools of Columbia possess their own logos, most of which contain some variant of the King's Crown symbol. Exceptions to this rule include the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which in addition to a logo adopted a variant of the university seal, and the School of General Studies, which inaugurated its own coat of arms in 1950 based on the Columbia arms.
The King's Crown is one of the most popular and pervasive symbols of the university, and it is currently used as the school's official logo. It traces its roots back to a copper crown that once surmounted Columbia's first building, and since the early 20th century, it has become a frequent design motif on campus and closely tied to the university's identity. It is incorporated into the logos of most of the university's individual schools, with the exception of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of General Studies, Columbia Business School, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.