Members of Cohorts 1 – 10.

April 22 – April 26, 2026. Activities will begin at 6:00 p.m. CST on April 22, 2026. April 27, 2026, is the departure date and will contain no programming. Please note the hotel cannot accommodate any room extensions. All Scholars are required to depart the hotel by 11:00 a.m. CST on April 27, 2026.

Please check the “Agenda” section of the Reunion website for a high-level preview of the agenda. Once you have registered, you will be able to access a more detailed agenda in the Whova event app. Agenda activities are subject to change.

The Whova app will be available when registration for the Reunion launches. You can access Whova by registering for an account using the name and email that you used for your Reunion registration. You can access Whova through the Google Play or Apple App stores, and you can also access Whova’s webapp here. Further information on logging into Whova can be found here.

You are welcome to bring a “plus-one”, defined as any additional personal guest other than yourself, including partners and family members. All hotel accommodations will be for one person per room. You are welcome to share your room and your free time with your plus-ones, but please note that additional charges may apply if the occupancy of your room exceeds more than two people (including yourself). Any such additional charges will be your responsibility. The Institute of International Education (IIE) will not assist with travel for plus-ones, and visa invitation letters for plus-ones are not provided. Please note that plus-ones will not be able to access or participate in any of the Reunion activities, meals, or transportation, and thus should plan their trip accordingly. There will be common lounge spaces for plus-ones to socialize, independent of the Reunion activities.

The event registration website and registration form will be launched on or around April 28, 2025, with a registration deadline of August 22, 2025. A refundable deposit of $250 USD will be collected from alumni at the time of registration in order to confirm your event attendance. The refundable deposit will be returned to you by IIE after you attend the event.

Prior to the registration deadline, key information will be shared by email. After the registration deadline, updates will be shared via the Whova app.

The deadline to register is August 22, 2025. The deadline to book flights is January 22, 2026. The deadline to acquire a visa (if you need one) is March 6, 2026. There will be additional deadlines to sign up for Reunion activities, which will be communicated to registered attendees.

Save the Reunion dates (April 22-26, 2026) on your calendar and register when the form goes live on April 28, 2025. Please do your best to hold these dates as vacation/personal days with your workplace. If your passport is going to expire sometime between April 2025 and November 1, 2026, we suggest renewing your passport as soon as possible so that your passport information won’t change after you register. If your passport information must change after you register, please email updates to logistics@sch10yeardev.wpenginepowered.com.

There is no fee charged to attend. A refundable deposit of $250 USD will be collected from alumni at the time of registration in order to confirm your event attendance. The refundable deposit will be returned to you after you attend the event.

Deposits should be made by debit or credit card when registering for the event. Payment is embedded in the registration form and is processed securely through Stripe. Unpaid registrations will not be accepted.

The following costs will be covered for alumni and current Scholars who register, meet all deadlines, and complete payment of their deposits:

• IIE will offer round-trip economy class airfare to alumni living outside of China who will be traveling to attend the Reunion. IIE will reimburse alumni living inside China for certain travel costs incurred in traveling to the Reunion. See “Is travel funded?” below for more details.
• Schwarzman Scholars will offer:
  • Hotel accommodation (one person per room) at one of the four venue hotels. Cohorts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 will check-in on April 22, 2026, and check-out by April 27, 2026. Members of Cohort 4 who are participating in the Cohort 4 Gathering from April 20-22, 2026, please reference additional details on the Alumni Platform regarding arrival. Click here for Cohort 4 agenda information. Click here for supplemental Cohort 4 FAQs. Cohort 10 will check-in on April 22, 2026, and check-out on April 26, 2026.
  • Breakfast from April 23 – 27, 2026 for one person per room.
  • Lunch from April 23 – 26, 2026 for one person per room.
  • Dinner from April 22 – 23, 2026, and April 25, 2026 for one person per room. Dinner will also be provided for Cohorts 1-9 alumni on April 26, 2026. Members of Cohort 4, please reference additional details on the Alumni Platform. Click here for Cohort 4 agenda information. Click here for supplemental Cohort 4 FAQs.
  • Short-term health insurance for the Reunion dates for alumni.
  • Ground transportation from the hotel to and from any offsite venues included in the Reunion program on Friday, April 24, 2026, and Sunday, April 26, 2026.

The following costs are NOT provided by Schwarzman Scholars:

• Any costs incurred by you extending your hotel stay or changing your airfare.
• Travel, meals, and entertainment for plus-ones as well as any additional costs charged by a hotel in connection with a plus-one’s accommodation. Please consult the plus-ones resource document in Whova after registering for further details.
• Some hotel rooms will have one large bed, while others will have two twin beds. If an additional folding bed is required (e.g. to accommodate plus-ones), this will be subject to prevailing hotel rates. Depending on the hotel property you are placed into, this will be ¥ 385 – 550 per person per night.
• Room service, laundry, minibar, or other incidental charges incurred by you or your plus-ones, including, but not limited to, smoking, excessive trash, damage etc. as determined by the hotel. All guests will be required to provide a credit card at check-in and may be required to put down a refundable deposit until the room is cleared at the end of stay, and any charges accounted for.
• Ground transportation between home and airport, Beijing airports and the hotel venue, visa costs, any incidental costs during travel, and self-organized activities/excursions in Beijing.
• International roaming charges or local mobile data plans.
• Travel to and from Tsinghua University on April 25 – April 26, 2026.

IIE will offer need-based support to eligible alumni requiring additional financial assistance. Requests for additional financial support will require proof of need and will be subject to case-by-case approval. IIE’s need-based financial support will not be available to cover costs relating to plus-ones. Additional details on need-based funding eligibility will be shared by IIE in September 2025.

You may choose between the hotel room provided or to arrange your own accommodation. Reimbursement for self-arranged accommodation is not provided, nor is ground transportation to/from self-arranged accommodation to Reunion program venues.

Requests for a specific hotel cannot be accommodated. Requests for specific types of rooms (twin or king bed) can be made, but we cannot guarantee that these requests will be accommodated.

IIE will offer round-trip economy class airfare to alumni living outside of China who will be traveling to attend the Reunion. Dates must be inclusive of the Reunion, but arrival/departure can be before or after the event. You are responsible for booking lengths of stay that are representative of the limits of your visa. Please note that all such international flights must be booked through IIE, and reimbursement will not be available for international flights booked independently. IIE will reimburse alumni living inside China for certain travel costs incurred in traveling to the Reunion. IIE plans to send out communications in September 2025 with details on how to book travel to alumni who have registered and received a confirmation for the Reunion. Alumni may begin the flight booking process in late September through December 15, 2025, through an online booking process. All flights will be finalized by late January 2026, and the deadline for alumni to have completed flight booking with IIE is January 22, 2026. The deadline for alumni to submit receipts documenting travel expenses for reimbursement by IIE is May 31, 2026. Flights will not be booked outside of this time frame. IlE encourages alumni to complete all requirements and book travel as soon as possible to secure optimal flight times and transfers. All alumni, regardless of whether they book travel with lIE, must report their arrival and departure dates and times to lIE through IIE’s survey, by January 25, 2026. This survey will be shared in early January 2026. The deadline for alumni to submit receipts documenting travel expenses for reimbursement by IIE is May 31, 2026. For further questions about flights, please contact IIE at SSP-Stipends@iie.org. You are responsible for all other costs, including but not limited to, ground transportation between home and airport, Beijing airports and the hotel venue, visa (including transit) costs, any incidental costs during travel (including changing flights), and self-organized activities/excursions in Beijing. IIE will offer need-based support to eligible alumni requiring assistance with these costs.

When booking arriving flights, please keep the following in mind:

• Hotel check-in time is at 2.00 p.m. CST. Your room may not be ready before then, but you will be able to leave your luggage with the front desk and make use of common spaces if you arrive early.
• Arrival by April 22, 2026, is required. We suggest that you try to book flights that land sometime between 8.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. CST on April 22, 2026.
• The Welcome Dinner will take place at 6.00 p.m. CST on April 22, 2026. Please plan to attend. The precise venue will be visible to Scholars who register for the Reunion.
• Cohort 4 members who are participating in the Cohort 4 Gathering from April 20-22, 2026, please reference additional details on the Alumni Platform. Click here for Cohort 4 agenda information. Click here for supplemental Cohort 4 FAQs.

For Cohorts 1 – 9: please plan to depart on April 26 or April 27, 2026. Departing prior to April 26, 2026, may result in the forfeiture of the $250 USD deposit. Final check-out for all hotels is by 11.00 a.m. CST on April 27, 2026.

For Cohort 10: please be prepared to check out by 11.00 a.m. CST on April 26, 2026.

This will depend on where you’re located. We encourage you to consider the travel time to get to and from Beijing in time for the arrival and departure windows described above.

We encourage you to complete the flight booking process once you are sure of your schedule to attend the event. If there is a need to change the flight after it is booked, alumni must inform lIE immediately via SSP-Stipends@iie.org to determine next steps. Changes must be made via IIE, and any associated fees will be your responsibility. Please note that lIE reserves the right to revoke the ticket should flight itinerary changes lead to travel misaligning with the 10-Year Global Alumni Reunion, defined as arriving after 11:59 p.m. CST on April 22 or departing before April 26.

All alumni attending the event should arrive to Beijing before 11:59 p.m. CST on April 22 and depart 12 a.m. CST April 26 or later. Flights will not be funded for itineraries that do not meet these arrival and departure requirements, but accommodation and other included costs will be funded, so long as you notify Schwarzman Scholars and IIE of your itinerary. Alumni who do not attend the event in full may have their hotel room reservation cancelled if they do not notify Schwarzman Scholars ahead of the event, with accommodation costs then being their sole responsibility. In addition, their flight booked by lIE may be canceled (if applicable), they may be ineligible for their travel costs within China to be reimbursed, and/or the $250 USD registration deposit withheld, unless proof of a travel delay or airline-initiated flight cancellation is provided. All alumni attending the event are required to share final arrival and departure dates and times to lIE via a survey that will be shared in early January 2026. If alumni change their arrival and departure dates after submitting this survey, they are welcome to attend the Reunion, but must notify logistics@sch10yeardev.wpenginepowered.com prior to the event.

Yes, as long as you inform IIE when booking your flight and the airfare is compatible with a round-trip ticket to and from Beijing for the dates of the event. You will be responsible for all other lodging and costs associated with a longer stay outside of the dates of the event, and for booking lengths of stay that are representative of the limits of your visa.

Please email SSP-Stipends@iie.org.

We will provide you with visa guidelines and invitation letters when necessary and individualized advice on visa applications upon request. However, the final responsibility lies with you to acquire a visa, including any transit visas in connection with a flight transfer, if one is necessary. Visa-related questions should be directed to logistics@sch10yeardev.wpenginepowered.com. The following summaries are for information purposes only, and Schwarzman Scholars will not be deemed to be providing legal or immigration advice.

• First, check your passport expiration date. China does not issue visas or allow entry to China to people with passports expiring within six months, so if your passport expires before November 1, 2026, we suggest renewing it prior to registering so that you can more easily book flights and register for the event. Even if your home country has a visa waiver to China, you will still need (i) at least six months of passport validity from your date of entry to China, and (ii) two blank pages in your passport, excluding endorsement pages.
• Second, please check if you need a visa to go to China.
• Third, if you need to apply for a visa, you should make a plan for when you will apply. We suggest that you first book flights and then apply for a visa sometime between November 2025 and December 15, 2025. The deadline to get a visa is March 6, 2026, but please bear in mind that Chinese consulates will be closed for the Chinese New Year holiday, most likely between February 16 – 23, 2026. While the Reunion logistics team will be available to answer questions by email, Schwarzman College will be closed for five weeks during the Chinese New Year holiday and may be unable to issue visa invitation letters during the closure.

You should plan on applying for a visa, unless you are a citizen of a country with a Chinese visa waiver or you already have a Chinese visa active for entry after April 22, 2026. China maintains permanent mutual visa exemptions for ordinary passport holders of 25 countries. Furthermore, China has temporary unilateral visa waivers for an additional 38 countries (as of January 8, 2025). You can see both country lists here for reference, although you should always verify this information on the official Chinese embassy website in your home country. Once you register for the Reunion, please check the visa guidance documentation, which will be available in the Whova event app. Please note that China’s temporary unilateral visa waiver list may change, and these visa waivers will expire on December 31, 2025, unless China chooses to extend them until past the Reunion dates. Thus, if you are a citizen of a country on the temporary unilateral visa waiver list, you should make sure to check the Chinese embassy website in your home country to confirm that the visa waiver for your country has been extended until after April 27, 2026. Guidance will likely be available in December 2025 about extensions.

If you have an active multi-entry visa that allows entry after April 22, 2026, then you do not need to cancel your old visa to get a new one. Simply travel on your existing active multi-entry visa. At immigration and on your arrival card, declare the purpose of your visit that matches your visa type. Of course, if your old visa was a single-entry visa that you’ve already used, then you will need a new visa.

You can use an active China visa, even if it is on an expired passport, under certain conditions. First, the visa does need to be active: it needs to be a multi-entry visa that allows entry after April 22, 2026. Second, your nationality and name listed on your old passport needs to be the same as the one on your current passport. Third, you will need to bring both your current passport and the expired passport that contains your active China visa with you on your trip. If you do not meet all of these requirements, you should apply for a new visa unless your country is on the visa waiver list described above.

Visa guidance will vary based on your nationality and other circumstances. Once you register for the event, you will have access to a general visa guidance document which will be updated periodically, and you will also have the ability to request individualized guidance from our logistics team. We will support your visa with the corresponding necessary invitation letters or hotel booking confirmations if we see that your visa status and country of citizenship requires it. If you are a citizen of a visa waiver country or otherwise wish to apply for an F conference visa to replace an existing active visa, please email your request along with your passport bio page to logistics@sch10yeardev.wpenginepowered.com no later than December 15, 2025.

If both of your passports have similar visa policies for China (e.g. both are visa-exempt, or neither are visa-exempt), then we suggest traveling and applying with the passport of the country in which you reside. If you are a dual citizen and only one of your passports is a country with a visa waiver for China, we suggest that you present the passport to Chinese immigration which will avoid the need to apply for a visa. You are allowed to present one passport to your home country’s immigration exit checkpoint and present your other passport to Chinese immigration. In such an instance, just be sure that you enter and exit China on the same passport, even if that is different from the one that you use to exit and re-enter your home country. Specific guidance will vary case-by-case, and we encourage you to reach out to logistics@sch10yeardev.wpenginepowered.com with any questions.

You will need to submit your visa application to the Chinese consulate that has jurisdiction over you. You cannot apply for a visa in a third country that you are visiting, unless you have residency in that third country. Please note that some countries such as the US have multiple Chinese consulates, and you should apply to the consulate that has jurisdiction over your home address. You will first complete the online China visa application, gather the necessary application documents, and get passport photos printed that match the requirements. After submitting online, you will then present your documents to the Chinese consulate and pick them up several business days later with your visa. In many countries, you have the option to use a visa processing agent such as CIBT. Processing agents do bear added fees and involve you mailing your passport, but you may find that to be more convenient if you live far away from your Chinese consulate.

When you enter China, immigration will ask you to fill out an entry card which will ask you what the purpose of your trip is. You should select the purpose of visit that matches your visa classification. Please see the visa guidance page in Whova once you have completed your registration.

We suggest that you bring three casual outfits, one business casual outfit, one business formal outfit or “Schwarz-Formal”, and cocktail outfit for the Reunion Reception, along with any outfits that you would like to wear for your travel days and for lounging in your room or exploring the city after hours. Please be sure to bring sufficient prescription medication that you require for the duration of your stay (appropriately labeled and with a label that matches your own name). We also recommend bringing business cards, small token gifts for your friends, an N95 mask, and power adapters for your electronic devices.

Credit cards are accepted at international shops and restaurants, but we suggest that you set up Alipay before departing. A setup guide can be found here.

A local phone number is useful but not essential in China. The process of registering a local phone number in China can be time-consuming. You have the choice of using your current provider’s mobile data roaming service, or you can purchase a travel data package from a third party provider. Your options will depend on whether your phone has an e-SIM or a physical SIM card, whether your phone is locked to a particular phone company, and availability in your home country. We encourage you to make use of either mobile data roaming or a traveler data package and to research the best option for your individual needs.

If you require any special accommodations emerging from a dietary restriction or a disability, please indicate this on your registration form so that we can accommodate your needs.

While we encourage full participation to get the most out of the Reunion, we will have a lounge specifically for you to take work calls or work remotely from if the need arises. Daytime programming on Friday April 24, 2026, and the Reunion Reception on Saturday April 25, 2026, are mandatory.

Yes, prayer rooms will be available at the hotel.