About Study Tours

Global Study Tours are designed for students who want the opportunity to learn firsthand about other business cultures. Students meet with leading executives, government officials, and alumni while visiting company headquarters, factories, and cultural sites. Students have an average of two company visits a day (8-10 throughout the week), and all meetings are mandatory. Students are traveling on behalf of Columbia Business School and are expected to act as ambassadors of the School brand by actively participating in company visits and alumni receptions. Tours have a minimum number of 20 students an a maximum of 40. Some tours may have lower caps for logistical reasons.

Signing Up

A Dutch auction method similar to class bidding will be used. Each student will be given upfront lifetime "Chazen bid points” that will carry over from year-to-year. These bid points will be separate from class bid points. There will only be one round of bidding. Students will be allowed to place their bids anytime during the bidding period. The lowest successful bid will become that study tour’s “clearing price.” It is possible for students to secure spots on multiple tours; however, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they do not confirm spots on tours that overlap. No swapping is allowed.

Those who successfully bid on a study tour spot will have 48 hours to pay a non-refundable deposit online or they forfeit their spot (bid points will be refunded). Those that were not able to get a spot on a study tour will be placed automatically on a waitlist, ordered by highest to lowest bid amount.  Please note that there will be no separate waitlist round. Students that get off the waitlist will be charged the bid amount they placed on the study tour, not the lowest “clearing price" for the waitlist, so make sure to bid what you are willing to pay. Students can add themselves to the waitlist at any point after the bidding period for no bid points by emailing chazen@columbia.edu. 

If a study tour does not fill to capacity during the bidding period and does not have a waitlist, it is open on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Only current, full-time Columbia Business School students are allowed to sign up (no significant others). Students with holds will not be allowed to participate.

The Chazen Institute reserves the right to cancel a study tour due to low enrollment or other circumstances which would make the study tour non-viable. If a study tour is cancelled, your deposit and bid points will be refunded to you. 

Withdrawal

Withdrawals not only create additional work for study tour organizers, but it also increases costs for students who are added later on. Therefore, once a deposit is made, the student is considered on the tour and deposits and bid points will not be refunded except for the reasons listed below (documentation may be requested):

• Personal, medical, and family emergencies
• Military service
• Court appearances, such as jury duty
• Visa denial

Please note that exceptions for classes and recruiting will not be made so please make sure to review the schedule for on-campus recruiting as well as block week courses prior to bidding for study tours.

Requests for withdrawal must be made in writing to the Chazen Institute at chazen@columbia.edu for consideration and include the reason for appeal and supporting documentation. If the request is approved, a refund will be credited back to the original credit card used for payment. Please note that monetary refunds of deposit and final payments will be given less any non-refundable fees and expenses already incurred (these fees will vary from tour to tour).

Timing

Tours take place over school vacation periods, usually late December/early January and March, with occasional May or August tours. Study Tours last from 7 to 12 days. Sign-ups for winter tours generally take place in September. Sign-ups for spring tours take place in mid November.

Finances

Costs vary depending on the study tour. However, in general, tour fees include hotel (based on double occupancy), local transportation, some meals, guides and tips. Students are expected to stay in the same hotel. Payment is a two-step process: students pay a nonrefundable deposit upon sign-up and later make a final payment 4-6 weeks before the trip. Students are not able to increase their loan eligibility for a study tour unless they are doing an associated independent study.

Please note: Students with holds on their student accounts (e.g. tuition, immunization, etc.) will be unable to participate in Chazen Study Tours. It is each student's responsibility to reconcile his/her account prior to submitting their deposit for a tour. 

Travel Precautions

Vaccinations and immunizations are recommended for many global destinations. Please review the latest health and safety information from University Health Services and schedule travel appointments if need be. Health Services is particularly busy leading up to school breaks, so please schedule an appointment as early as possible.

Getting the Most From the Study Tour Experience

Independent Study: Study Tours are a noncredit learning experience. However, interested students can choose to make a tour part of an independent study class for credit. Visit the Office of Student Affairs.

Social Media Guru: Blog from the streets of your study tour. Contact chazen@columbia.edu for more information. Click here to view past blogs.

Travel Photo Contest: Showcase visuals from tours through the annual photo contest.

Organize a Chazen Study Tour: If you would like to propose a Chazen Study Tour, review organizing a tour.

View destinations and itineraries for past study tours.