Columbia Global: Where Thinking Meets Doing
Columbia Global is a bold initiative that reimagines the role of a university as both a hub of intellectual exploration and a catalyst for change. Through innovative scholarship, leadership training, and pioneering research, it brings society’s most pressing needs into the heart of academia, with work that strengthens policies, improves lives, and creates measurable change in communities worldwide. Its five-part ecosystem turns ideas into action: Columbia World Projects, Columbia Global Centers across four continents, the Committee on Global Thought, the Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris, and Undergraduate Global Engagement.
Join Us: The World is Waiting
Expanding Global Education
Columbia students don’t just study the world—they step into it. From a semester in Paris to urban projects in Nairobi, Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE) turns the globe into a two-way exchange: students bring ideas and energy into communities worldwide, and return with perspectives that deepen learning back on campus. UGE connects students and faculty through study abroad, global internships, research, and service-learning opportunities, making global education accessible to all undergraduates and sparking innovative initiatives that prepare students to lead with perspective and impact.
Cultivating Changemakers
The Committee on Global Thought (CGT) trains students to tackle pressing global challenges—from inequality to democracy to climate—through cross-disciplinary research, undergraduate and MA programs, and leadership initiatives. Through the Social Impact Fellowship at Columbia World Projects, rising juniors and seniors turn ambition into action, co-designing solutions with communities on issues from public health to climate resilience. Together, these programs equip students with the skills, experience, and networks to become the next generation of changemakers.
Fueling Collaborative Research
The world's greatest challenges demand collective solutions that change systems, not just spark ideas. Columbia Global shows what’s possible when research is designed for impact—delivering tools that shape policy, scale innovations, and strengthen communities. From AI-powered climate solutions in Brazil to resilient urban development in Turkey, our 11 Global Centers anchor bold collaborations that turn scholarship into action.