Rankings

The University Debating Rankings rank universities according to their success so far in the UK and Irish debating season. At every university-level debating competition held in the United Kingdom or the Republic Of Ireland, institutions earn points for their top two performing teams and top two performing speakers if they perform well enough. The World University Debating Championships and European University Debating Championships are also counted. The larger the debating competition, the more teams and speakers earn points in the first place, and the more points teams and speakers earn for doing well. More points are also earned at tournaments with a stronger field of speakers. Winning out-rounds and winning the competition naturally also earn points for your institutions. The points which a University has earned at every competition so far this season are added together to produce their current points total, the rankings of which are shown below.

The season-ending rankings have now been published, with Oxford finishing first for the third successive year, narrowly edging Cambridge at the final hurdle. Major movers include ULU, Bristol, Nottingham and SOAS. The highest new institution and highest institution from outside IONA is Wellington Victoria, at 10th. Institutions coloured red are those from outside the British Isles.

If you have any questions or comments about the rankings, contact Jonathan Leader Maynard, Chair of the National Universities Debating Council, at jleadermaynard@freeuk.com.

Latest rankings