WUDC Eligibility

We have received a lot of questions concerning eligibility of institutions and speakers. Therefore we prepared this comprehensive overview and had it checked by the Chair of the WUDC Committee.

You can participate in the World Universities Debating Championships no more than four times as a speaker. To speak at Worlds you must be enrolled as a student and must be attending classes or pursuing research in the university you represent – or have been such on the last day of term preceding the competition. If you are attending multiple educational institutions, you must represent the one at which you pursue at least half your courses. You must be affiliated with the same institution as your teammate and present documented evidence of your student status. Also, you are not allowed to register and participate if you owe money to any previous host without their agreement.

The institution at which you are enrolled must be a post-secondary education institution (usually a university) recognized and accredited by your nation’s educational authority. Your eligibility to compete must be recognized by that institution’s debating society.

Regarding institutions and societies, there are some traditional exceptions, particularly in Ireland and the UK where some institutions traditionally have been represented by more than one debating society – or the other way around. Aside from these exceptions – collectively referred to as the “grandfathered institutions” – only one debating society may represent each institution.

Should questions of eligibility arise, the Constitution of the World Universities Debating Council directs the tournament organizers to consult the representative national debating body of the appropriate country. If you feel that your particular case is not clarified by these rules, please approach Chair of the WUDC Committee Steve Johnson (steve.johnson.alaska(at)gmail.com) before you register. Down and full payment are non-refundable.