In an increasingly interconnected world, cross-cultural understanding and global engagement are more critical than ever. With nearly a dozen Global Centers and hundreds of program offerings in more than 40 countries, Columbia’s reach extends to every corner of the world, bringing its undergraduates countless opportunities to experience an exhilarating array of locations and unfamiliar ways of life.
To learn with the world, and from it
From the Columbia Experience Overseas internship program that spans industries and world locales to one of the most active Engineers Without Borders chapters in the nation—as well as more than 100 study abroad programs spanning six continents and 40 countries—Columbia undergraduates are encouraged to engage with the world throughout their time as students.
Along the way, they join world-class faculty members and the broader Columbia community in research and classwork that advances the principles of mutual respect, greater understanding and common humanity.
student:
The Center for Career Education and the support of the Laidlaw Fellowship of Columbia helped me find an internship working with a Danish parliamentarian on researching different countries' implementation of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. My research and housing was all funded by Columbia.
Charlie
W.
Denver, CO
East Asian Studies, Political Science
A world of resources
Columbia students engage globally through a wide range of programs, departments, centers and institutes. Here’s a sampling.
A truly global campus
With one of the largest international populations of any university in the world, Columbia truly is a global campus, and a reflection of the city it calls home. Columbia students explore diverse international works through a series of Global Core courses, and develop important cultural, historical and geographical perspectives by participating in on-campus programs and events.
The World Leaders Forum
Each fall, when prestigious leaders from around the world travel to New York City for United Nations Week, the renowned World Leaders Forum hosts them at Columbia for lively debates, intellectual discourse and exploration of important global challenges. Speakers have included Madeleine Albright GSAS'76, Kofi Annan and Jacinda Ardern.
The Global Columbia Collaboratory
The Global Columbia Collaboratory is a virtual exchange that helps students learn more about global challenges, enhances their global competencies by facilitating them connecting and collaborating across a global network, and empowers them to make a difference in the world as global citizens.
Living and learning in one of the world’s premier international cities, and taking advantage of the many opportunities provided through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students become part of a rich tapestry of transformative global experiences.