Welcome to UK Intercollegiate Debate Program
The University of Kentucky has one of the most successful debate programs in the country. Over the past twenty-seven years, Kentucky has had twelve teams in the quarter finals of the National Debate Tournament (NDT), six of whom reached semi-finals and including one which won the NDT. Over the same period, Kentucky has also produced an unprecedented six NDT first place speakers, three in the 1990s.
The NDT, of course, is only one tournament. Perhaps a better indicator of our overall seasonal success is the ranking of teams who apply for first round bids. Over the years, the University of Kentucky has had twenty-one first-round bid teams (that is, teams that rank in the top sixteen teams in the country).
In addition to the number of NDT Best Speaker winners, UK Debaters shine individually in many other campus-wide activities including "Academic Excellence": Debate continues to attract some of the top High School Seniors in America - some of the outstanding accomplishments UK Debaters have achieved other than Debate, President-Student Government Association; Outstanding Seniors in the Economics Department, Political Science Department, Honors Program; Outstanding Junior in the Philosophy Department; Gaines Fellowships in the Humanities 7 times; Phi Beta Kappa - numerous members. The point of this is two-fold. First, Kentucky has been one of the most consistent programs in the country in terms of producing nationally competitive teams. Second, it has not only produced strong teams, but is has also produced outstanding ones.
General Information: