Columbia Students Vote on Divestment Referendum
Students in Columbia College cast nonbinding ballots on divestment and the Tel Aviv center, with no policy change tied to the results.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Higher Education
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Columbia College students voted October 13 through 19 on a set of referendum questions asking whether the university should divest from certain defense, technology, and Israel-linked companies and shutter the Columbia Global Center in Tel Aviv. The results are nonbinding and do not change university policy, and Columbia had not released them as of October 30.
Why it matters
The referendum is advisory, so it does not change how Columbia invests its endowment or runs its Tel Aviv program, but it reflects continued student pressure on the university's investment and international-program decisions. Columbia's earlier divestment votes and its July 2025 federal resolution agreement show how these questions have been handled over several years.
The October 2026 vote ran from October 13 through 19 and covered six referendum questions, five on divestment from defense and Israel-linked companies and one on closing the Tel Aviv center. Because the results are nonbinding, the vote does not alter Columbia's investment or program rules.
The players
Columbia University
A private Ivy League research university in New York City whose undergraduate college, Columbia College, held the referendum.
Trump Administration
The federal administration that reached a July 2025 Federal Resolution Agreement with Columbia to resolve civil rights investigations.
The details
Students cast ballots on each referendum question during a one-week window, and the Columbia Elections Board oversaw the process after CU Apartheid Divest proposed the measures. Columbia's socially responsible investing committee, a 12-member body, handles divestment proposals and rejected three in November 2025, so the referendum results would not by themselves change investment policy.
Timeline
October 2020: Referendum on divestment from Israel-linked companies passed with 61.03%.
April 2024: Students voted 76.55% for financial divestment and 65.62% to end the Tel Aviv University dual degree.
July 2025: Columbia reached a federal resolution agreement with the Trump Administration.
November 2025: The socially responsible investing committee rejected three divestment proposals.
October 13-19, 2026: Students voted on the current referendum.
Education Landscape
Student referendums on divestment and international programs have recurred at Columbia across several votes since 2020, with the most recent rounds showing majority support in each case. The current vote follows the July 2025 federal settlement, which set the university's compliance backdrop for these campus debates.
Students at Columbia and similar schools can track how student referendums are weighed by university committees before any investment or program change takes effect. Families comparing schools may want to ask admissions offices how student governance votes feed into university decisions.
The takeaway
Student referendums can signal campus sentiment, but at Columbia they are advisory and do not change investment or program policy on their own. Readers following the story should watch for the official results and any committee response from the university.
Further reading
For more on how college investment and campus governance decisions work, browse Higher Education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Jewish Journal.
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