This page outlines the process for requesting student data for research at Columbia Business School (CBS). It recognizes that there is a reasonable demand for access to student data for research among faculty, while ensuring the privacy and security of student records are maintained.
Only full-time CBS faculty may request access to student data. Prior to submitting any data request, the principal investigator (PI) must have Columbia University IRB approval for the project. Data requests are reviewed by a committee that is led by the Director for Research and includes the Vice Dean for Research, the Senior Vice Dean for Curriculum and Programs, and Directors from both the Office of Student Affairs and the Career Management Center who oversee data management within those offices. Requests will be reviewed quarterly, on the first Columbia University workdays in February, May, August, and November.
To request access, faculty must fill out this Qualtrics application form. Data request proposals should be specific, describing the following: the nature of the project, the reason the data is needed, who will access the data, how the data will be used, how data will be stored, and security measures for protecting the data. The application form will ask you to upload a copy of your stamped Columbia University IRB protocol.
Application Deadline
Review Dates
| January 18, 2022 | February 1, 2022 |
| April 18, 2022 | May 2, 2022 |
| July 18, 2022 | August 1, 2022 |
| October 18, 2022 | November 1, 2022 |
NDA Overview
The Director for Research will notify the applicant of approval, denial, or requests for revisions within 1 week of the committee meeting. Once approved, the applicant and all users of the data will be required to sign the non-disclosure agreement.
- The approval to use data will have an expiration date of 3 years from the approval date, and is predicated on continued Columbia University IRB approval and continued employment as a CBS faculty member.
- On the expiration date, all data analysis must be stopped, and all student data must be deleted from the device(s) on which it is stored within the next 7 days. Faculty who wish to extend data access must submit a new data request.
- Within 30 days of expiration, faculty must also submit a brief report (1-2 pages) of how the data were used and describe any research papers, presentations, and publications based on the data; copies of slides, papers and/or publications should be submitted along with the report.
- Note that this end-of-project requirement is in addition to any reporting requirements specified in the NDA.