Frequently Asked Questions

As a year-long residential program, program costs are comparable to a year of a Columbia degree program; the 2027-2028 Distinguished Fellows program tuition is $82,500.

The fee covers tuition and program fees for the specific Distinguished Fellows courses, and any additional classes a Fellow chooses to attend or audit. Light snacks and coffee will be available in the Fellows’ lounge, and when the program coordinates outings in NYC, basic museum entry fees will be covered.

The Distinguished Fellows leadership may develop international educational travel opportunities for Fellows in the program and other Columbia affiliates; the cost of such additional programs is not included in tuition.

All Fellows will pay a one-time fee ($5,000) covering activities and food associated with the program throughout the year. These will include beer and wine along with the meals.

In its first year, the program is proud to offer two full-tuition fellowships for exceptional leaders coming from the non-profit sector. Limited financial assistance for program costs may be available for other Fellows coming from long careers in public service, government, nonprofit, or military backgrounds. Participants from these backgrounds bring highly valued perspective and talent to the cohort experience. Qualifying Fellows wishing to be considered for these forms of assistance will be able to indicate this in the application form. On a one-time basis, as we establish the program, Columbia degree-holding alumni will be offered a 10% discount on tuition if they are admitted to the inaugural cohort (2027-2028). 

In the future we hope to offer additional aid. Those seeking financial assistance are encouraged to contact the Distinguished Fellows program by email.

Given that many of today’s leaders have spent decades immersed in their own fields, the Columbia University Distinguished Fellows program will provide space and guidance for Fellows to reactivate their intellectual creativity and explore topics beyond their own ken. The Distinguished Fellows program seeks those who want to be students again, but on different terms, and who, in doing so, want to give something back to the next generation. 

As elaborated on the “Experience” page, the program will offer a curated cluster of seminars and outings designed only for the Distinguished Fellows cohort. In addition to the Fellow-specific experiences, the program’s advisors will help participants find and register for open seats in classes from across Columbia in both semesters. 

Fellows have the freedom to study almost anything offered in the wide range of Columbia’s curriculum--including philosophy, religion, history, the arts, music, literature, politics, science, environment, and society. They may seek to understand the issues facing the modern world with the context and nuance gained through reflection on history and written, oral and artistic traditions. Select courses in some professional schools will be available as well.

Fellows decide how they want to engage their classes. They may choose to attend and engage in all class activities, or they may simply audit their classes. Fellows attending a class are typically present at all or most class meetings and complete most assignments, and may take exams if they wish, with instructor feedback but with no final grade recorded. Fellows who simply audit a class attend and complete assignments more flexibly, but without instructor feedback.

Fellows understand that they have the opportunity not only to learn but also to give back to the next generation. In class, that may mean holding back, so that students earning their degrees have the space to speak, practice and learn, but it also may mean asking the hard question or contributing the insight that experience and life stage allows one to see. 

Voluntary mentorship opportunities will pair Fellows with current students interested in areas where Fellows have expertise, drawing Fellows into the learning community in a special role, giving back even as they undertake their own learning.

Each term, Fellows meet with the advising team to hone their search across the course catalog. Hundreds of classes have open seats after degree-seeking students have registered, and Fellows are free to register for these in most cases. Some special courses—such as first-year undergraduate Core seminars—are reserved only for degree-seeking students and do not admit auditors or visiting students. The advising team helps Fellows navigate registration in a way tailored to their goals and desire for rigorous academic engagement or lower-key auditor experiences.

All Fellows are encouraged to take the Core seminar, which grounds the cohort and defines a shared intellectual conversation, but the program honors Fellows’ sense of what will best serve their next chapter. The Faculty Director will meet with each Fellow to help them make final decisions about their pathway through the program and the year at Columbia.  

While most classes and convenings will take place on the Morningside campus, New York City will serve as an extended classroom and living laboratory for Distinguished Fellows. Through curated field visits, private access to cultural institutions, and intimate roundtables with New York-based leaders across business, media, policy, and the arts, Fellows will benefit directly from the city’s extraordinary intellectual and cultural assets throughout their fellowship year.

Upon completion of the Distinguished Fellows program, Fellows will receive a Columbia Certificate of Completion. Distinguished Fellows who complete the program do not receive official alumni status as currently Columbia policy restricts general alumni status to those completing degree-granting programs.

The Distinguished Fellows program is a non-degree/ non-credit educational experience in which Fellows participate in and audit Columbia courses. Participants do not receive a Columbia degree, nor academic credit toward a degree.

As a Distinguished Fellows program alumnus, you will have access to a lifelong intellectual home and peer community at Columbia. You will retain access to the exclusive Fellow directory, and will be invited to select annual campus summits, ongoing events, faculty lectures, and some Columbia alumni programming. There will be abundant opportunities to collaborate with past and future cohorts. Some Fellows may cultivate long-time relationships with the faculty teaching them, with current students they mentor, or with collaborators on projects launched during the program.

In its first year, the program is proud to offer two full-tuition fellowships for exceptional leaders coming from the non-profit sector. 

As we establish the program, Columbia degree-holding alumni will be offered a 10% discount on tuition if they are admitted to the inaugural cohort (2027-2028). 

As one of the opportunities to “pay it forward” for others while on campus, members of the inaugural cohort will be invited to advise on the development and refinement of the program and will be part of special conversations with the deans and academic leaders spearheading this initiative. Inaugural Cohort Fellows may be invited to remain connected to the program in an advisory capacity for the second year and beyond, if a longer relationship with the program and the university is of interest.

Self-nominations are welcome for the Columbia Distinguished Fellows program, and we equally invite you to share names of those you think would enjoy the year of academic exploration and discovery. 

Columbia welcomes the participation of spouses and life partners as Fellows together. Each candidate must submit a separate application; please note that you are applying together.

Should a Fellow’s partner opt to not fully enroll in the program, there will be events and activities during the year that will be open to their participation. Partners would be welcome on any international trip that may be planned as part of the Fellowship experience.

We welcome non-US citizen candidates and participants. Upon admission, Columbia can assist international participants with visa coordination. As each candidate's situation may be specific, further details will be discussed with accepted Fellows. Accepted Fellows must demonstrate English proficiency.

Distinguished Fellows must be in residence in the NYC area when classes are in session (September-December; January-May). To fully embrace the program, being close to campus and activities will be important.

Fellows are responsible for finding and funding their own accommodation, but program staff can provide resources for securing lodging. University housing is currently only available to fully matriculated students in degree programs and to faculty.

Most activities will take place on Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus. Parking facilities near campus are available for a fee, and the NYC subway system and major bus lines are directly adjacent to campus.

All Distinguished Fellows will receive an official Columbia University ID (CUID), which grants access to most Columbia campus facilities. This includes access to all Columbia University libraries, including all periodicals, databases, and related resources. For a fee, Fellows can access the Dodge Physical Fitness Center. With their CUID, Fellows would be welcome at all events and convenings open to the Columbia community, including athletic events, plays, concerts, and public lectures.  Fellows will also receive an @columbia.edu email address.

Fellows will be entering a year of being a student again and will have full access to the variety of study spaces and reading rooms across Columbia University Libraries and in the unique spaces in the University’s academic units. While Fellows will not have dedicated long-term desk space or private offices, the Distinguished Fellows program will provide dedicated touch-down space to foster informal connections and to ease access to program staff and to the campus as a whole.