Which college Model UN teams are the best on the circuit? There are many definitions of success in Model UN, and awards are not the purpose of Model UN. Nevertheless, awards have existed in Model UN for many years and serve to recognize individual students for their accomplishments in leadership, research, public speaking, resolution-building, negotiation, and diplomacy. The college rankings are meant to recognize entire teams for their efforts in preparing more students to succeed at more conferences, thereby improving and expanding the Model UN activity.
The North America college Model United Nations community is informally divided into two circuits, named on this website the National Division and the World Division. The National Division teams tend to be led by faculty advisors, focus on the academic and educational aspects of the conference, and attend about 2-3 organization-hosted conferences per year that give out many school awards but de-emphasize competition by usually not formally giving out individual awards. The World Division teams tend to be led by college head delegates, focus on the competitive and social skill aspects of the conference, and attend about 5-6 college-hosted conferences per year (many of them crisis simulations) that give out many individual awards but only a few school awards. More details about both divisions can be found here.
Methodology
The Weighted Score Methodology is the same as in previous years with minor modifications in weightings to reflect attendance this year. The article above also provides insight into the purpose and philosophy behind the rankings. Conferences included in the calculations are listed below and grouped with their approximate peer conferences in terms of weighting. Awards data were provided by the conferences.
- HNMUN
- ChoMUN, McMUN, UPMUNC, WorldMUN
- NCSC
- CMUNNY, UCBMUN, SCSY
- BarMUN, LAMUN, NYUMUNC, VICS
- AggieMUN, BUCS, DISCon, FCMUN, MUNE, PICSim, PUNC, SBIMUN, TrojanMUN, UNCMUNC, &MUN
A total of 147 North American teams had individual awards on the circuit this year. Placement below should be compared to the 2013-2014 Final Rankings as opposed to the 2014-2015 Fall Rankings.
2014-2015 North American College Model UN: World Division Final Rankings
1. University of Chicago
For the second consecutive year and the third time in the history of the annual Best Delegate rankings, the University of Chicago has reached the top of our list for top-ranking delegations and has successfully defended its position as the best team on the North American circuit. Led by President and Head Delegate Nisha Bala as well as Head Delegates Apratim Gautam, Michael Millman, and Maddy Stanich, the Chicago team has shown its depth by receiving an impressive array of individual and delegation awards over the course of the year.
In the fall, the delegation started strong with a Best Large Delegation award at CMUNNY and was able to translate its early successes on to another Best Large Delegation award at UPMUNC, where they were able to edge out top teams like Georgetown, Harvard, and FIU for top honors. A mid-winter trip to McMUN for its second appearance at the conference led to the Chicago team receiving Outstanding Large Delegation honors, and the team ended its season with perhaps the largest honor on the collegiate circuit, the Best Large Delegation award at HNMUN, whose field of attendees was vast and competitive. They beat over 60 other award-winning teams to accomplish this impressive feat and ended their year with delegation awards from each major conference they attended.
Regarding their season, Nisha and Apratim had the following to say: “The last year has been an overwhelming and rewarding experience. Our team has strived so hard this year for inclusivity and to make both Model UN on campus and dealing with UChicago as a school a more welcoming experience than it has been previously. We’ve brought more delegates to conferences than ever before, have a slightly higher participation rate of women in the activity, and brought people in from a much larger array of backgrounds. We’re proud of the gains our team has made this year, both competitively and as a social unit, and are excited to see what the next year holds for our team and the circuit at large.” Michael Millman, who will remain on as President and Head Delegate for the Fall 2015-Spring 2016 academic year, said, “The UChicago team, over the last academic year, has prioritized the ‘team’ aspect of Model UN – and so emphasized our cohesiveness in an activity that can often seem to be individual. By training together and sharing research, we now have institutionalized practices that will hold us in good stead. We’ll miss our upperclassmen, but are excited for a new year with new challenges.”
2. Georgetown University
Georgetown has consistently been a top team on the circuit, and this year was no exception. Its fall season took a while to gain momentum, but momentum is relative for a team whose weak conferences still netted them impressive finishing performances. In the fall, Georgetown received Best Large Delegation early on at BarMUN, and it finished in fourth overall at CMUNNY, as well as receiving the second-highest amount of awards at UPMUNC, edging out its main competitor, Harvard University, by a small margin. Georgetown started its spring season strong by winning Best Large Delegation at McMUN, whose competition was as strong as ever and included dozens of award-winning delegations. Georgetown missed out on the opportunity to compete against rival UChicago at HNMUN because of its high school conference, NAIMUN, but it returned strong later in the spring with multiple awards at WorldMUN, Best Large Delegation at NYUMUNC, and Outstanding Large Delegation at ChoMUN. Perhaps the most impressive attribute of Georgetown’s team is its consistency- even its younger delegates received awards at most conferences attended, and it ended its season with a commendable array of delegation awards to add to the trophy case.
Head Delegates Harrison Baker and Jeff Caso led the Georgetown team this year. Regarding the 2014-2015 season, Harrison said, “Both Jeff and I feel the team took some great steps in the right direction. Leadership made a series of reforms and instituted new practices in our recruiting and training methods, which should serve well in the long term. Moreover, we saw our delegates perform across a wide array of committees, with marked improvement in larger committees.” On a similar note, Jeff said, “Harrison and I are extremely proud of all our delegates, each of whom maintained a balance between competitiveness and genuine good fun, while maintaining the values our University cherishes. Special thanks to all our delegates graduating in the Class of 2015!”
3. Harvard University
Harvard’s team, which swept last spring by storm, continued making its strong push towards the top over the course of the 2014-2015 year. Led by juniors and Head Delegates (and Best Delegate All-Stars) Joe Hall and Delany Sisiruca, Harvard IRC managed to win Best Small Delegation at BarMUN, McMUN, and UCBMUN. Although its team is used to fielding smaller delegations, its foray into bigger teams worked to its advantage, and it netted Harvard Outstanding Delegation awards at CMUNNY, NCSC, and NYUMUNC. Most impressively, the team’s season ended with a Best Large Delegation win at ChoMUN, edging out other top teams like Georgetown, FIU, and NYU. The primary reason Harvard was not able to maintain its Fall #2 rank is because it could not compete at two of the highest weighted conferences of this semester, HNMUN and WorldMUN, since they hosted both. Nevertheless, Harvard has impressive depth that should give them an advantage leading into next season.
When asked about their incredible year on the circuit, Head Delegates Joe and Delany said, “The team credits these successes to the social cohesion of the team: bringing in awards is just one way team members show that they care about the team and the other members it is composed of. The progress that the Harvard team has made in the past several years is a trend that we hope to see continue in 2015-2016 under the leadership of newly elected head delegates Andrew Ma, Rohan Pidaparti, and Charlene Hong.”
4. Florida International University
FIU has made a name for itself in past years as a strong GA delegation, but it has always struggled at crisis-heavy conferences. This year, that wasn’t the case: they had impressive showings at NCSC, where they tied with West Point for third overall delegation points; UNCMUNC, where they won Outstanding Large Delegation, and CMUNNY, where they won Best Small Delegation. In addition, they finished top four overall at UPMUNC and defended their Outstanding Large Delegation award at HNMUN this February. FIU continues to rise in the rankings, and it will have to work hard next year to defend its first top four finish.
When asked about its season, the FIU leadership team, which included Head Delegates Christopher Cummins, Antonio Ferguson, Kristen Nyman, and Rolando Ramirez, had the following to say: “This year was a real milestone for FIU’s Model UN Program. We expanded our overall membership, traveled to new conferences, and took on a record number of freshmen, but most importantly we had an absolute blast with each other and everyone on the circuit. There were many special moments and breakthroughs for our delegates, from starting the year off with a Best Small Delegation win at Columbia to winning Outstanding Large Delegation at HNMUN in convincing fashion, but perhaps the best thing about this year for FIU Model UN is how many delegates will return next year with new experiences, focus and commitment to excellence.”
5. New York University
In stark contrast to FIU, NYU is a consistently-strong crisis team whose GA skills have expanded exponentially over the course of the 2014-2015 academic year. NYU defended its top-five fall ranking with an impressive spring season that included lots of traveling and several key victories. In the fall, NYU won Outstanding Small Delegation at SCSY and Best Small Delegation at NCSC, as well as finishing in the top five at CMUNNY and top ten at UPMUNC. Their momentum in the fall carried over into the spring when they won Best Delegation at PICSIM and Best Small Delegation at VICS, along with individual delegate awards at McMUN, HNMUN, and ChoMUN, at which they finished in the top four.
Head Delegate Isabelle Klinghoffer had the following to say about NYU’s season: “Recruiting an exceptional class of travel team members has taken New York University’s MUN team from 13th to 4th in the nation [in the Fall] and from a debate team to a family in just four months. Above all else, New York University’s MUN team has impressed me with the kindness they have shown both their teammates and the circuit at-large. They are a testament to the genius of teamwork, and I am so proud to count myself as one amongst them.”
6. Claremont McKenna College
CMC is a growing West Coast MUN powerhouse, and their season showed that they can prevail on both coasts. Claremont McKenna impressively topped California’s most competitive conferences, receiving Best Delegation at TrojanMUN, Best Small Delegation at LAMUN, and Best Large Delegation at UCBMUN. This in and of itself was a huge feat, but CMC proved their rank amongst the entire circuit through their Best Small Delegation awards at UPMUNC, HNMUN, and WorldMUN. They will have considerable work to put in next year to match their successes from this year, but if they can do so, then they will be a solid contender for a “P5” finishing position.
Head Delegate Aseem Chipalkatti had the following to say about Claremont McKenna’s season: “CMC Model UN’s main priority has always been to enjoy the game. We very strongly emphasize trying to have fun and collaborating with other delegates over competition, and we believe that this has paid huge dividends. Ultimately, there’s no point in going crazy over a college competition simulating the United Nations, and it’s more beneficial – for our team’s sanity and our competitors’ sanity – to be the kind of team that people enjoy having committee dinners with. This is a huge part of our team culture and absolutely the main reason that we are where we are today.”
7. United States Military Academy at West Point
A perennial top-ten team with a young delegation, West Point did a remarkable job recovering from the loss of last year’s strong graduating class. While they weren’t able to defend their delegation awards at UPMUNC and UCBMUN, they put on impressive showings at NCSC and HNMUN, and they expanded their travel schedule by including NYUMUNC for the first time. Additionally, West Point enjoyed a diverse amount of success at SCSY, where they won Best Large Delegation (a first for the team), and McMUN, where they defended their Best Small Delegation title. Despite undergoing a rebuilding year, West Point’s team was able to yet again prove their skill and resilience under strong leadership.
2014-2015 Head Delegate Patrick Beauregard had the following to say about West Point’s season: “This last year on the MUN circuit has been immensely enjoyable and edifying. This year, after the departure of many old hands, the West Point Model UN Team took on its largest recruiting class in recent memory by adding nine new delegates to the roster. With some excellent debut performances from our new underclassmen, I look forward to Megan McNulty taking the reins next year as Head Delegate. I have nothing but confidence in her ability to take the fruits of this year’s rebuilding efforts and turn them into awards on the circuit next season. Although I’m departing the circuit, I know that myself and the rest of our Firsties feel better prepared to be Army officers due to the experiences we have had doing MUN.”
8. University of California, Berkeley
Like their West Coast rival CMC, Berkeley performed very well at West Coast conferences, which resulted in a second place finish at TrojanMUN, Best Large Delegation at LAMUN, and Best Delegation at AggieMUN. They also hosted UCBMUN, a collegiate conference that helped bridge the gap between top-ranking West Coast and East Coast teams. Berkeley’s circuit-wide successes for the year include receiving multiple awards at UPMUNC, finishing in top 10 at this spring’s very competitive HNMUN, and receiving Outstanding Small Delegation awards at both CMUNNY and ChoMUN. Over the last few years, Berkeley has begun to make a name for itself as a delegation-award winning team, and with its large jumps in rankings each year, the team is continually proving itself as one of the best on the circuit.
Regarding the 2014-2015 season, Head Delegates Apratim Vidyarthi and Anton Wideroth said, “UC Berkeley’s Model UN team, affectionately known as UCBMUN, has enjoyed unprecedented success this past year. A combination of highly skilled new members, intensive one-on-one and group trainings, and an inclusive work-hard-party-hard atmosphere drive our delegates to success. Despite the fact that Berkeley delegates have to pay out-of-pocket to travel, UCBMUN has shown exceptional commitment and skill in navigating even the most difficult of conferences. We’ve had an incredible year, doing better than ever before at both UPMUNC and HNMUN, and we hope to enjoy more growth as our relatively young team matures into a seasoned one.”
9. The George Washington University
The GWU delegation is one of many on the circuit currently in the midst of growing a young team to fill voids left by key members in past years. After a slow start in the fall, the GW team picked up at the end of the semester with an impressive amount of acknowledgements for their Colonial Cadets at UPMUNC, and for the second year in a row, they made great strides at the beginning of the spring semester while attending McMUN, where they received the second-highest amount of awards overall. They also successfully defended their Best Large Delegation award at &MUN. The GW calendar is perhaps what is most impressive- outside of its previously-mentioned successes, the team also attended and received awards at SCSY, NCSC, CMUNNY, UCBMUN, ChoMUN, and HNMUN.
When asked about the season, Head Delegate David Berris had the following to say: “The GW Model UN team has made incredible strides this year on the collegiate circuit. The team had its best performances at CMUNNY, UPMUNC, McMUN, UCBMUN and a Best Delegation award at &MUN for a third year in a row, showing that they can compete with the best of the best at every conference. With an expanding team of delegates that have gone through the Colonial Cadet program, [I am] extremely confident that the momentum the team has gained will carry into next year. GW is looking forward to getting back into committee and moving even higher in the ranks. Raise High!”
10. Yale University
The Model United Nations Team at Yale (MUNTY) is a recruitment powerhouse, so it is no surprise that they are rouding out the top ten teams in the nation. While their schedule is generally not very expansive, Yale’s successes at attended conferences are clear. In the fall, the team received awards at CMUNNY and received Outstanding Large Delegation at UPMUNC, their best performance at the conference to date. In the spring, Yale received awards at HNMUN and ChoMUN, finishing in the top five at the former conference. They additionally received multiple diplomacy awards at WorldMUN in an exceedingly competitive pool of both North American and international delegations. Yale is consistent and established, and each year they never cease to impress.
Haley Adams led the MUNTY team this year. 2015-2016 Head Delegate Adam Gerard had the following to say: “After significant achievements at all the conferences we attended this year, most notably Outstanding Large Delegation at UPMUNC, we are looking to build on our success for next year. We will focus on training new members to successfully conduct research and deliver speeches while refining the talents of all returning members. We have continually improved our standing on the circuit over the past two years and look to continue this upward trajectory in the years to come.”
11. Columbia University
Columbia’s team flies under the radar at times, but it can never be discredited as a group of strong competitors who consistently bring home paper. In the fall, the CIRCA team started strong with an Outstanding Large Delegation win at SCSY, coming in second only to West Point, and a top ten finish at UPMUNC. Their spring showed an impressive array of successes, including awards at McMUN, HNMUN, and ChoMUN, as well as a top five finish at UCBMUN. The Columbia team also hosted a successful CMUNNY, which featured 18 of the top 25 ranked schools on this year’s list.
When asked about the 2014-2015 season, Head Delegate Frank Pellegrino said, “Over the last year, the Columbia MUN team has seen growth both logistically and as a community. Focusing on a cohesive team as fostered by practices, the team traveled to a total of eight conferences and has seen immense strength coming especially from the freshman members. I could not be more proud of their performance as well as that of the veterans, and I am honored to be leading them in the year to come.”
12. University of Pennsylvania
Despite the loss of many of its top competitors and a drop from its perennial P5 team status, the University of Pennsylvania persevered against the odds for a solid finish to their season. They began strong with an Outstanding Small Delegation finish at BarMUN and received awards at CMUNNY and NCSC, where they finished in the top ten. In the spring, Penn received awards at VICS and finished in the top ten at HNMUN and fifth overall at ChoMUN. In the fall, the University of Pennsylvania hosted the 48th session of its North American collegiate conference, UPMUNC, which was the most heavily-weighted conference of the semester. The Penn team certainly has an uphill fight in store for the 2015-2016 year, but their resilience and strong history of success should help them regain their top status moving forward.
Head Delegate Stephanie Herrmann said the following of the season: “The Penn Delegation began this year competing with small delegations, but as campus-wide enthusiasm for the team spread, the team began to come back with a vengeance and competed as a large delegation (sometimes, the largest delegation) and brought home some great finishes at HNMUN, VICS, and ChoMUN this spring. Led from fall 2014 to spring 2015 by Penn’s first female Director of the Intercol board, Stephanie Herrmann, the team finished out the year 22 delegates-strong and is prepared to take on the circuit in fall 2015, under the leadership of incoming Director Ashish Sharma. See you all later this year! #FLOCKSTRONG”
13. McGill University
After a top ten finish in the fall, McGill settles into its highest year-end placement at number 13. Their fall season started incredibly strong at SCSY, where they won Best Small Delegation and dominated committee gavels. They also finished in the top seven at CMUNNY and received multiple awards at NCSC. In the spring, they received multiple awards at HNMUN and ChoMUN. Additionally, they hosted the 26th session of their collegiate conference, McMUN, which 16 top-ranking schools attended, making it one of the most heavily-weighted conferences for spring rankings.
Regarding the 2014-2015 season, Head Delegate Emmett Meacher said the following: I am very proud of the team’s performance this past year and all the success that has come with it. For the past two years, there has been a shifted focus towards preparations when going to a conference…With this veteran team, that has paid off, and I am extremely satisfied with our results this MUN season. A big shout to the graduating members for making this year incredible.” Along with Meacher, Head Delegates Manzar Akbar, Nick Ellery, and Oscar Isham led the team this year.
14. Emory University
Emory’s delegation is a consistent top-25 finisher, and despite fielding a young team this year, they were able to lock down many key successes. In the fall, they made their inaugural trip to SCSY, where they finished in the top ten overall, and they received awards at NCSC and UPMUNC. Most importantly, they were able to defend their Best Delegation award at DISCon. In the spring, Emory attended UNCMUNC and HNMUN, where they won multiple awards, then they closed out their season with a top eight finish at ChoMUN. Emory was able to accomplish all of this while transitioning its Model United Nations team (EMUN) into an International Relations Association (EIRA). While they are losing many strong delegates in the coming year, their young delegation and young leadership staff has shown over the last year that they are fully equipped to take over the reins for a successful 2015-2016 season.
Head Delegates Orli Berman and Aaron Tucek had the following to say about their season: “Over the past year, the Emory Model United Nations team has undergone a major transformation in becoming the Emory International Relations Association. With this transition, we created the “Head Delegate” position independent of the position of president, for the first time in the club’s history. This has allowed us to become a multi-faceted and ever growing organization. While we have been able to dedicate more time and resources to remaining active on the circuit, we have also expanded our efforts in community service and programming on campus. This year, many of Emory’s best delegates will be ending their time on the circuit but could not be happier leaving EMUN as it stands: a team of well-developed, fair competitors who are dedicated to competing honestly and fairly, with the intent to learn more about how to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.”
15. University of Miami
The University of Miami retains its top-fifteen finish for the second year, and while it did not travel much, when it did, it fully maximized its conference successes. In the fall, UMiami finished in the top seven at SCSY and received their first Outstanding Small Delegation win at UPMUNC, beating out top schools like West Point and Berkeley. They are one of many Florida schools that continue to impress and rise in the rankings, and given their ability to excel both in GA and in crisis, they are certainly on an upward trajectory.
Head Delegates Byron Hazzard and Daniel Moubayed had the following to say of their season: “We cannot be more proud of this team, as they accomplished several goals we set out back in the fall. After last year’s success, we wanted to show that it wasn’t a fluke, and Miami is the team that does well on the circuit, takes passion to every conference, and always brings the fun! Our success this year proves that UMiami is on the map as a memorable school on the circuit. The dedication each member has made to growing and strengthening this family is just what we hoped would happen this year, and we can’t wait to see how the program continues to grow and thrive.”
16. College of William & Mary
While William & Mary’s conference schedule was notably smaller than in years past, they certainly worked hard to maximize the opportunities they were given. In the fall, they won multiple awards at CMUNNY and finished in the top six at NCSC, and the spring showed the same momentum- they finished fourth overall at McMUN and won multiple awards at their first appearance at UNCMUNC. They rounded out a solid season by winning multiple Diplomacy Awards at WorldMUN, a conference where they consistently thrive. Overall, William and Mary’s team had a very respectable season, and they did not disappoint with their notable placements at large, competitive conferences.
Regarding the year, Head Delegate Lucas Leblanc said, “With many of our most experienced delegates having graduated in the past two years and the introduction of &MUN in 2013, the Model United Nations program at William & Mary has focused on reorganizing its calendar, building a new and more intensive training structure, testing out a larger array of conference than in years past, and bringing high numbers of young delegates to the circuit. We were extremely confident of this new approach when one of our youngest pairs won Best Delegate in NCSC’s competitive Paris Peace Conference GA. At McMUN, we built on this type of success with an exceptional performance in large GA’s – with a double W&M win in the Legal committee and a Best Delegate performance in SPECPOL – all made possible by the enthusiasm of our new members. We returned from WorldMUN in Seoul with multiple for our small delegation, the majority won by freshmen and sophomores, as well as a few good stories for the road.”
17. Clark University
This is Clark’s third year finishing in 17th place overall, and the strides made by this year’s team were clear. In the fall, they attended and received awards at SCSY, CMUNNY, UPMUNC, and BarMUN, where they finished sixth overall. They started their spring season with a showing at McMUN and a tied top finishing position, along with Penn State, at BUCS. They went on to receive Best Delegation at FCMUN as well as finish in the top ten overall at HNMUN, a conference where they consistently fare well. Clark’s team was solid and had clear victories throughout the year, and their future seasons leave them with both a solid foundation and room to soar.
Head Delegate Doga Bilgin had the following to say about the year: “Clark prides itself on being a small and competitive team. Our size provides great opportunities to train first-year delegates. Especially in the first semester, we’ve had great opportunities to send first-years to conferences, which has translated to great results at HNMUN, BUCS, and FCMUN for our team. Our returners have also made my and Patrick Burchat, my co-Head Delegate’s, job much easier by providing excellent support towards training new delegates. We hope to carry our strong year-end performance into the next year.”
18. Boston University
BU’s team was relatively young and small this year, but they were able to hold their own and defend their place in the top 25 with a strong spring season. In the fall, they attended and won awards at CMUNNY, NCSC, and UPMUNC, while the spring showed them finishing sixth overall at McMUN, receiving multiple awards at HNMUN, and finishing in seventh overall at ChoMUN. They are a team with a great deal to prove going into the coming year, but they should be very proud of a solid season and the paper and hardware they received.
Head Delegates Alix Neenan and Claudia Morera led the team this year. Next year’s Head Delegate Graham Atherton had the following to say about the season: “Over the past year, our travel team has established a core roster of promising underclassmen who are just beginning to travel. Meanwhile, our veteran members have been consistently proactive in sharing their knowledge and experience, much to the benefit of newcomers. This is, as I see it, a formula for sustained and consistent presence on the circuit. We’re all eager to get out and compete again in the fall.”
19. The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is only in its third year of competing as a Model United Nations team, so its second appearance on this list is nothing but impressive. In the fall, they attended and won awards at NCSC and UPMUNC, and the spring showed them finishing top fifteen overall at McMUN and ChoMUN in addition to receiving the Best Large Delegation award at PUNC, hosted by Penn State University, one of their Big Ten rivals. If OSU continues on its existing trajectory, the team has nowhere to go but up in the future.
Regarding the year, Head Delegate Luke Lundy said, “The Ohio State University’s Model United Nations team had yet another successful year on the collegiate circuit as a relative newcomer to the world of competitive Model UN. The delegation, sponsored by the Collegiate Council on World Affairs, competed at NCSC, UPMUNC, MCMUN, PUNC, and CHOMUN, winning various individual awards and the best large delegation award at PUNC.”
20. Stanford University
Stanford has moved up two spots to the top twenty teams this year, and their team obtained great successes on both the East and West Coasts. Over the year, they received many delegation honors, including Outstanding Small Delegation at NCSC, Top California Delegation at SBIMUN, Best California Delegation at UCBMUN, Honorable Delegation at PICSim, and Outstanding Small Delegation, a tie with Franklin & Marshall, at &MUN. Additionally, they finished in the top ten at McMUN and won awards at LAMUN, ChoMUN, and AggieMUN.
Regarding the season, Head Delegate Julien Brinson had the following to say: “We may have lost some amazing seniors last year, but we gained some amazing freshman and only hope to continue to grow our team. We like the progress we’ve made thus far and only hope for more in the future.” Along with Brinson, Teo Lamiot and Ben Chao acted as Head Delegates for the 2014-2015 year.
21. Florida State University
Florida State’s team is one of several Florida teams that continue to climb the ranks of the North American circuit, and its 2014-2015 was indicative of great team progress. In the fall, FSU attended and won awards at NCSC, CMUNNY, and the regional FMUN novice conference. Additionally, Florida State hosted the growing Regional Training Conference (RTC) in the fall, which acts as a benchmark for many Florida schools prior to the beginning of the more competitive season. Their momentum picked up in the spring semester, where they won awards at McMUN and ChoMUN and snagged the Outstanding Small Delegation Award at VICS and Best Delegation Award at MUNE.
Head Delegate Rachel Way had the following to say about Florida State’s season: “At Florida State University, our MUN team goes beyond being just a competitive venture and is also about building team cohesion and learning to think creatively and critically. This year has been successful on all these fronts for us, as we won two Best Delegation awards and an Outstanding Delegation award, created a prospering community of diverse students on our campus, and continued to grow as an organization. We are so proud of the tremendous effort, passion, commitment, and outstanding accomplishments of the 2014-2015 team, and we eagerly look forward to continued successes in all our endeavors in the coming year.”
22. Princeton University
In Princeton’s inaugural appearance on the end-of-year top 25, they have certainly made a great entrance. The team kicked off their fall season with a top six finish at SCSY and multiple awards at CMUNNY and UPMUNC. Leading into the spring, they saw awards successes at McMUN as well. The rest of their spring season showed their delegation-wide successes through their wins of Best Small Delegation at UNCMUNC, Outstanding Delegation at FCMUN, and Best Small Delegation at NYUMUNC. While Princeton is still an up-and-coming Ivy League MUN player, if this season was any indication, they will certainly be a strong competitor in future years.
Head Delegate Paul Yang said the following about Princeton’s season: “We are all very proud of what our team, more than three-quarters freshman, has managed to accomplish this year and how we have all grown closer and made friendships we hold dear. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the circuit next year and can’t wait for another great year of successful days and fun nights. The future sure is looking bright!”
23. Vanderbilt University
This is Vanderbilt’s first appearance on the top 25 in a few years, and like Princeton, they put in impressive efforts over the course of the year. In their fall season, they won multiple awards at CMUNNY and finished in the top four at SCSY and top five at BarMUN. Building off of their fall successes, their spring semester included multiple awards at UCBMUN, sixth overall at VICS, and Best Large Delegation at UNCMUNC. Vanderbilt has made great strides in the last year, and other regional schools should fear Vandy as a power player in the South.
Vanderbilt’s Head Delegate, Gideon Ticho, had the following to say about their season: “The last time Vanderbilt was honored amongst the nation’s top 25 MUN schools, our current seniors were graduating high school. Throughout the past four years, we’ve come up just short again and again, but we’ve always known that we had the talent to compete with the best teams. So it gives me great pleasure to say that, although we started from the bottom, our whole team is [freaking] here. I could not be happier for our graduating seniors, who get to go out on a high note, and I’m immensely proud of our entire delegation. It’s truly been an honor to compete alongside every one of you, and I have no doubt that Vandy can continue this success going forward.”
24. University of Virginia
Another new addition to the top 25, UVA has been gradually climbing the top 75 for the last few years. While the team has been known in past years for having a small group of consistent award winners, this year marked a more cohesive team approach to the delegation’s successes. The UVA team was able to earn multiple awards at CMUNNY, NCSC, and ChoMUN this year, and they finished second overall at UNCMUNC. They also won the Outstanding Delegation award at PICSim, coming second only to NYU and beating out Stanford.
Their 2014-2015 Head Delegate Josh Barkow had the following to say about their season: “The Virginia team is ecstatic to break into the top 25 for the first time. We’ve been able to be successful this year through rebuilding the program and diversifying the conferences we attend. We’ve had a number of amateur delegates rise to great success through hard work and effective training. At the end of the day we still know we’re the most fun team on the circuit.”
25. University of Florida
After a rough start in the fall, the University of Florida secured key successes in the spring to retain bragging rights as one of the top 25 Model UN teams in North America. The team won multiple awards at CMUNNY, UPMUNC, McMUN, and ChoMUN, and they had their best performance yet at VICS with a Best Large Delegation win. Another young team, UF has the experience and past success to spur its delegation forward for a successful 2015-2016 MUN season.
Regarding the season, outgoing Head Delegate Fred Kolb said, “We graduated a lot of accomplished seniors, and it took us a while to build momentum this season. But our new freshmen class became extremely involved, and our Best Large Delegation win at VICS was in no small part due to them. We also experienced a lot of growth in our high school conference, GatorMUN, and our college conference, FLCS. We have rarely before had such an extensive conference schedule or this many active participants in our organization, and our traveling team next year will probably be bigger than ever before.” Incoming Head Delegate Megan Guyton said, “This past year’s incoming freshman class has exhibited passion for learning and competing in MUN. In return, the outgoing senior class has shown clear direction and led by example, spurring the underclassmen to rise up to their high standards.”
Top 50 (alphabetical order)
These are teams that consistently have individual award winners across several conferences, particularly the larger and more competitive ones, and may have even captured a delegation award at a smaller conference. The five teams closest to breaking into the Top 25 were: UCLA, Rutgers, Carleton University, Cornell, and UNC-Chapel Hill.
- American University
- Boston College
- Carleton College
- Carleton University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Cornell University
- Duke University
- Ithaca College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Michigan State University
- Mount Holyoke College
- Old Dominion University
- Rutgers University
- Seton Hall University
- State University of New York – Geneseo
- Tulane University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, San Diego
- University of Delaware
- University of Georgia
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- University of Southern California
- University of Toronto
- Washington University in St. Louis
Top 75 (alphabetical order)
These are teams that occasionally have individual award winners at several conferences or won a few awards at larger conferences. Note there are 26 teams in this tier due to a tie.
- Babson College
- Bentley University
- Colgate University
- Concordia University
- Dawson College
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Gordon College
- Indiana University, Bloomington
- Ivey Business School
- McMaster University
- Middlebury College
- Northern Arizona University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Queen’s University
- Sarah Lawrence College
- Swarthmore College
- Tufts University
- United States Naval Academy
- Université de Montréal
- University of Calgary
- University of Cincinnati
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte
- University of Ottawa
- University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Congratulations to all the teams and conferences this year! In addition, congratulations to the graduating seniors — good luck with your next journey! Hope everyone has a great summer and we’ll see you back on the circuit in the Fall!