The Columbia Global Energy Fellows program is run by the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA. It prepares Columbia graduate students to work on global energy and climate-policy challenges through a year of learning, mentoring, and career development.
Fellows join monthly sessions with energy leaders and scholars in New York and are matched with a CGEP Senior Research Scholar or Global Fellow. The program also connects fellows with research work, professional networks, and support for an eligible summer internship.
Benefits & funding
- Monthly luncheons and learning sessions with energy leaders and CGEP scholars.
- Individual matching with a CGEP Senior Research Scholar or Global Fellow, with compensation for up to 10 hours as a Student Research Worker.
- Full funding for an eligible unpaid summer internship in energy or climate, plus internship-search assistance.
- Career workshops, networking events, team dinners, and a CV and writing-sample repository that may be shared with corporate partners seeking interns or future hires.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be full-time graduate students, including PhD candidates, enrolled at Columbia University for the entire 2026–27 program year.
- The application page lists a graduation date of May 2026 or later and requires applicants to attest that they will remain in a Columbia graduate degree program throughout the 2026–27 academic year.
- The official pages state no nationality, residency, age, gender, or work-experience requirement.
- Internship funding applies only to a summer placement that is unpaid and has no outside funding; placements at a family-owned organization or an applicant’s own organization, business, foundation, or start-up are excluded.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Enter personal information, Columbia UNI, graduate school, degree, concentration if applicable, and expected graduation month and year.
- 2Upload a CV in PDF, DOC, or DOCX format.
- 3Answer three essays on motivation, the global energy system’s greatest ten-year challenge, and energy interests, using maximum lengths of 400, 800, and 400 words, then upload them as one file.
- 4Rank up to three CGEP research topics, confirm enrollment for the full 2026–27 academic year, and submit by September 25, 2026.
- 5If invited, complete a virtual or in-person interview with CGEP Scholars or Global Fellows.
Program timeline
Applications open.
September 4, 2026
Application deadline.
September 25, 2026
After review
Selected applicants may be invited to a virtual or in-person interview.
Accepted students are notified.
October 2026
Program begins; the official FAQ describes it as year-long but does not publish an exact end date.
January 2027