Up to Us Campus Competition
Objective
The Up to Us Campus Competition is a national leadership development program that aims to increase the publics awareness and understanding of the United States fiscal and economic challenges, empowering students to educate peers on the national debt.
Description
Overview
Up to Us is a national, nonpartisan competition that challenges college student teams to design and run awareness campaigns on their campuses about the U.S. national debt and long-term fiscal challenges.
Who can participate
- Open to undergraduate (and in some editions graduate) students forming a team on their campus
- Teams commit roughly 3-5 hours per week during the semester to build and execute their campaign
Format
- Teams design and host events, presentations, pledge drives, and outreach to elected officials to engage peers on fiscal policy
- Campaigns run over the course of a semester (roughly 8 weeks in the Fall)
- Campaigns are judged by competition organizers and a diverse panel based on the success of key activities and creativity
- The competition runs in both Fall and Spring semesters each year
Notable details
- Teams receive campaign funding, leadership and project management training, and access to policy leaders
- Top teams win cash prizes and an all-expenses-paid Prize Trip to Washington, D.C.
- Alumni gain access to the Up to Us Leadership Network Professional Pathways program and a paid policy internship opportunity at the Bipartisan Policy Center
Eligible Schools
American University (Washington DC)
Binghamton University
California State University - East Bay
Carnegie Mellon - Tepper School Of Business
Christian Brothers University, Memphis
Clark Atlanta University
Dominican University Of California
Duke - Fuqua School Of Business
Florida International University College Of Business
Florida State University
Georgetown University - McDonough School Of Business
Howard University
Lam Family College of Business - San Francisco State University
Mount Saint Mary University
Oklahoma State University
Santa Clara University
Texas A&M University - Central Texas
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
The University Of Vermont - Grossman School Of Business
Thunderbird School Of Global Management
UC Berkeley - Haas School Of Business
Unanue Career Center at Miami Herbert
University Of California San Diego - Rady School Of Management
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
University Of North Carolina at Charlotte
University Of South Florida
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Wyoming - College of Business
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Fall 2026 semester, exact dates TBA
September 23, 2026
Public
Business School
Career
International
Interview
Networking
uptous@netimpact.org
Net Impact, Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Campus Compact, Volcker Alliance, Fiscal Challenge, Clinton Global Initiative
First Place Team: 5,000 $ cash prize plus an in-person prize experience for the team leader
Additional cash prizes awarded to other top-placing teams (amounts vary by semester)
Free