The Model UN community faced relentless challenges this year but persevered nevertheless. Not only did many teams transition their conferences to completely virtual platforms, but delegates were forced to adapt their skills and, for many, years of MUN experience to succeed on the virtual circuit. Even though unmods, crisis notes, and delegate socials looked very different this year, so many teams on the circuit did not let the pandemic make MUN obsolete. Each delegate made an effort to preserve the MUN traditions we have come to know and love while pioneering new ones. There are many definitions of success in Model UN, and awards are only one extrinsic way of measuring success. Nevertheless, awards serve to recognize both individual students and college teams as a whole for their accomplishments in leadership, research, public speaking, resolution-building, negotiation, and diplomacy. This year, the rankings celebrate the MUN teams that showed immense resilience by not only enduring despite the year’s challenges, but also succeeding at the highest level possible in collegiate Model UN.
Methodology
The World Division refers to the circuit of collegiate Model UN teams that are primarily run by college Head Delegates and primarily attend conferences hosted by college Model UN organizations, with the vast majority of those conferences featuring crisis committees. This ranking is only for the World Division.
The World Division Rankings uses a Cumulative Weighted Score Methodology. The Weighted Score Methodology is the same since Fall 2018 with modifications in conference weightings to reflect attendance and competitiveness this year. Conferences included in the calculations are listed below and grouped with their approximate peer conferences in terms of ranking. Awards data were provided by the conferences, and we could only use conferences that chose to provide data. We did our best to reach out to active conferences but not everyone responded.
Tiers are as follows for active conferences this year. Given feedback by conference organizers of the importance of this chart, we provided an approximation of where other conferences that did not submit data or were cancelled this year would be placed given their last submitted data.
| Active Conferences this year (data submitted and used for rankings) | Conferences of approximate ranking (no data submitted or cancelled this year) |
| HNMUN | |
| McMUN | |
| ChoMUN, NCSC | UPMUNC |
| UCBMUN, LAMUN | BarMUN, CMUNNY, NYUMUNC |
| CONMUN, &MUN, MUNE, YUMUNC, SBIMUN | VICS, UNCMUNC, TrojanMUN |
| HallMUN | CIAC, QMUNI, FLCS, PDI, FCMUN, PUNC, BUCS |
Note: new conferences like AIRMUNC and NoleMUN will be included next year and their place would be based on the awards data they submit.
Rankings Commentary from Best Delegate Co-Founder Kevin Felix Chan
Everyone was a leader: Every Model UN head delegate, conference organizer, and participant had to lead this year. Leadership was not necessarily winning awards and achieving a high rank. Leadership was making a decision that made the best sense for each team and its team members. All team circumstances and challenges were unique.
For some, that may have been making a difficult decision to not participate or to limit participation in college MUN this year. For others, it may have been an attempt to try and figure it out, even if it ultimately did not lead to the ability to attend conferences or win awards. Some teams and conferences were set up to thrive or created the conditions for it, and took advantage of it to make MUN possible this year. For other teams, merely being able to do MUN and maintain participation was already a huge win given all the challenges.
Small but powerful acts of leadership, such as encouraging others, problem-solving, or checking in on someone’s mental health, are extremely important and get overlooked by rankings that are determined by awards. Therefore, we commend the entire college circuit this year. We recognize the rankings do not capture everything that went on this year, but at the same time want to recognize the teams and conferences that were active in college MUN this year.
Challenges: Virtual was challenging for many conferences and teams amidst the backdrop of college in the time of COVID-19. Many conferences were cancelled, including UPMUNC, BarMUN, CMUNNY, and NYUMUNC and a huge slate of the smallest conferences. The conferences that pivoted to virtual were on average half the size of their usual attendance. Best Delegate estimates the circuit was at about one-sixth of its usual participation numbers overall.
Claremont McKenna vocally made a fair point that the rankings do not accurately capture the challenges certain teams faced, which lowered team participation, made it not possible to field a team, or required a team to be inactive. We recognize that many teams (Harvard, George Washington, Emory, NYU, UPenn, West Point, Columbia, Miami, Princeton) are consistently ranked teams and did not have a normal year due to all the challenges presented by Covid-19.
Equity: Virtual conferences provided a degree of equity. The West Coast had a record five teams ranked benefiting from not having to fly to the East Coast for conferences: UCLA, Berkeley, Claremont McKenna, USC, and newcomer UCSB. Canada had a record four teams ranked benefiting from the relative prominence of Canadian conferences as many American conferences were cancelled: McGill, Université de Montréal, Concordia, and Marianopolis.
Resiliency: Certain teams made a commitment to make virtual MUN happen and had record years. Five teams entered the final Top 25 rankings for the first time: UCSB, Université de Montréal, Georgia, Johns Hopkins, and Marianopolis. Five teams achieved their highest rank ever: Boston University, McGill, Florida State, Clark, and Virginia. Some conferences even had the opportunity to stand out or launch this year, such as CONMUN, HallMUN, and AIRMUNC.
And some of the best teams — those who consistently place in the top five of the rankings — had strengths that enabled them to overcome any challenges. Despite all the challenges, these teams still managed to put together large, competitive teams that were successful across many conferences. These teams included Georgetown, UChicago, FIU, and American.
Credits
Best Delegate Media Team member Zoey Fisher put together the final article. Best Delegate Co-Founder Kevin Felix Chan led the data calculations for the ranking and final editing of the narratives in this article. Best Delegate Media Team members Jamey Battle, Teresa Schuster, and Timur Saiful sourced the awards data and team blurbs and photos for this article.
Thank you to all the conferences for submitting awards data, and to all the head delegates for submitting content about their teams.
Note: teams that are missing blurbs/photos may submit to zoey.fisher@bestdelegate.com to have them added.
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TOP 25 TEAMS
- Georgetown University
Georgetown was by far the #1 team on the circuit this year with the most delegation awards, most individual awards, and most gavels on the circuit. This is their first #1 ranking in nearly a decade. Among the two most competitive conferences they attended, McMUN and ChoMUN, Georgetown won Best Large Delegation at both and dominated in terms of weighted score. The team split up into small delegations to attend many other conferences. This included going nearly undefeated on the West Coast with an Outstanding Small at UCBMUN, Best Small at LAMUN, and Best Small at SBIMUN. They also received Best Small at MUNE, Best Small at HallMUN, and awards at &MUN. Last but not least, they hosted an increasingly competitive NCSC that has caught up with ChoMUN in terms of being a peer weighted conference and in attendance.
From the team: “Team GUMUN has had an absolutely phenomenal year, with the team supported by an amazing group of freshmen and underclassmen leading the charge. Thanks to the team’s dedication, we were able to secure 8 delegation awards this year, with unprecedented success at both McMUN and ChoMUN. The last time GUMUN secured a Best Large Delegation at both McMUN and ChoMUN was when we walked away with the #1 overall rankings in the 2011-2012 year. A major change in our conference slate this year was provided through a rare opportunity to compete at many of the West Coast conferences that would have been well beyond what we could afford if not for the virtual environment. The leadership has consistently been moved by the team’s remarkable dedication to MUN and competition even in a virtual space. But it is not just GUMUN’s competitive success that deserves recognition. It is equally important to recognize and thank all the effort the team has put forward in building a welcoming community with an energetic freshmen class, a wonderful WoMUN team, and a no-cuts no-tryouts team culture. Jack Korologos, the head delegate, had this to say: “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this team to success and I am more than excited to see GUMUN show its true potential with the great leadership of next year! Hoya Saxa!” “
2. University of Chicago
The UChicago team received the second most gavels and third most individual awards on the circuit this year. Their strongest performance was at the most competitive conference on the circuit, HNMUN, where they received the highest weighted score and thus helping them stay above FIU in the rankings despite not receiving a delegation award there. The team also came in third at McMUN. In terms of delegation awards, UChicago took home Best Large at NCSC, Best Large at YUMUNC, and Outstanding Small at LAMUN. They hosted ChoMUN in the spring, which was attended by many different teams this year.
From the team: “Like many teams, ours began this year flying somewhat blind. And although we were worried about any one of a number of problems—recruitment, training, and keeping our team bonds strong—the year overall shows we had our team is stronger than any problem that could be thrown our way. It has been nothing short of inspiring to watch UChicago’s team support one another through an isolating year and the perils of virtual Model UN. In fact, not only did we survive, we thrived. Our team brought in the largest class of new members in years, sent more First Years to conference than ever before, and kept our social traditions strong. Oh, and we got some pretty sweet quarterzips. In a year like this one, the question of “Why do we do this?” was at the forefront of our team’s collective mind. While we all love competing in Model UN and traveling around the circuit, this year reminded us of what really matters. We do this for the snowball and water gun fights, the bike rides along the lake, the afternoons on the Quad with a speaker and a frisbee, and for yelling the chant in the middle of campus. And so when we’re back to normal, flying around the country from conference to conference, I know we’ll stay even more focused on the importance of those bonds and traditions at home. I’m going to miss my team dearly, but I trust that next year will build on this year’s successes to create something even stronger.”
3. Florida International University
FIU persevered to retain its reputation as one of the Top 5 teams on the circuit — this is their eighth year in a row there. Their highlight performance this year was winning Best Large Delegation at the most competitive conference on the circuit, HNMUN. The team also received Outstanding Small at McMUN. Beyond that, the team competed at the second most conferences on the circuit and consistently contended for delegation awards or received many individual awards at ChoMUN, NCSC, LAMUN, &MUN, and MUNE.
From the team: “Despite a long year of lagging wifi, dropped zoom calls, and “what time zone again?” the FIU Model United Nations team was able to do what it does best: come together as a family to tackle the year ahead. Competing at a total of 9 conferences in just the spring semester (including 4 back-to-back weekends, a recent team record) FIU delegates brought energy and excitement to the never ending zoom void. This was also the youngest team to have “traveled” as extensively as they did, bringing home multiple first-time freshman gavelers alongside 4 delegation awards, never forgetting to mention the Best Large Delegation feat at Harvard. However, the true accomplishment of the FIU program was seeing the team redefine and positively change the team culture through countless virtual study days, the mentorship of the graduating seniors, the willingness to sit outside in the Florida sun to watch Sunday awards (socially-distanced), and of course, the support from the university. The FIU MUN team thanks the seniors who transitioned the program to the successful virtual environment this past year, along with thanking graduating Head Delegates Nicholas Velazquez and Ashley Weathers, who dedicated WAY too much of their personal time to seeing the program succeed. While Zoom MUN will be missed (not) incoming Head Delegates and members look forward to seeing the rest of the circuit merge in-person this next year.”
4. American University
American has maintained its spot in the Top 5 of the rankings for the third year in a row to establish its reputation as one of the top college teams in the country. American had the second most individual awards on the circuit this year. In addition to winning the Outstanding Large at McMUN and having the second highest weighted score at NCSC, the team received Outstanding Large at &MUN and racked up a ton of awards at HNMUN, ChoMUN, and LAMUN.
From the team: “Similar to other teams, the American University Model UN Team has had a year that was nothing short of bizarre. Nevertheless, this team navigated through unfamiliar territory during both practices and conferences, and exhibiting, as we do every year, our reputation for diplomacy and collaboration. Our team’s success this year cannot be discussed without recognizing the tremendous work our new members have put in, resulting in delegation awards at McMUN and &MUN. Our new members tried out for the team halfway through the year and stepped up just weeks afterwards to attend conferences that are traditionally limited to upperclassmen. It is because of their dedication and devotion to this team that our team has maintained a strong presence on the circuit… and at our local Nandos. Correspondingly, we are extremely grateful to this year’s senior class for their immense support, wisdom, and contributions given to this team during their tenure. They assisted in our team rising from 17th to second last fall to where we are today. We are very excited to see what they do in the future! It has been an honor serving as Head Delegate for the team this complicated year, and I am greatly looking forward to what next year brings for our team.”
5. Boston University
BU has ascended into the Top 5 of the college rankings for the first time in team history, making this is their highest rank ever. This was behind the strength of the second most delegation awards and third most gavels on the circuit. There was no doubt that BU was the best small delegation on the circuit this year — they captured Best Small Delegation at HNMUN, McMUN, ChoMUN, UCBMUN, and &MUN, plus an Outstanding Small at NCSC, to go nearly undefeated in that category. Although BU had to cancel BarMUN at the beginning of the year, that enabled the team to focus on building up its training skills instead, leading to a very successful year.
From the team: “Following a rebrand at the beginning of the Fall, the MUN@BU team had perhaps its most successful year in history. With an incredibly strong Freshmen class, a new focus on intensive pre-conference preparation, and a commitment on building a MUN community, the team was able to grow and thrive even despite the lack of in-person competition. This year, we earned more gavels than any other type of award, and team Delegation awards at 8 out of the 9 conferences we attended (with 7 of those being a Best Small). It is thanks to the incredible (servant) leadership of outgoing Head Delegate Timothy Obiso that we were able to accomplish so much, and his commitment to pushing through the unforeseen challenges of the past year drove the team to historic highs. We are incredibly grateful to him, and all of our graduating seniors, for all that they have done for the team and the example that they have set for all of us. We are so proud of the entire team and can not wait to continue growing as we (hopefully) transition back to in person MUN.”
6. McGill University
McGill has achieved its highest rank ever after winning the third most delegation awards on the circuit this year. This included a breakthrough performances at two of the most competitive conferences: Outstanding Large Delegation at HNMUN and Outstanding Large at ChoMUN. The team also racked up a Best Small at NCSC, Outstanding Small at YUMUNC, Outstanding Small at &MUN, and awards at UCBMUN. But its contribution to the circuit goes beyond that — it hosted a very successfully and well-attended McMUN at the beginning of the spring semester, which helped provide confidence for many other late spring conferences to be hosted. McGill, which couldn’t compete at its own McMUN, is also the highest ranked team from Canada is a record-high year of four ranked Canadian teams.
From the team: “The McGill Model UN Delegation Team had a historic year for many reasons. In the face of some of the most challenging global conditions of our generation, our team was able to continuously achieve success in a way that none of us had expected. The best part of this year, by far, was consistently seeing how McGill delegate’s never backed away from any challenge, instead pushing themselves and each other to rise to the occasion every time to show everyone exactly what the token Canadians were capable of. Through every workshop, every simulation, and at every conference, the McGill Delegation team proved the amazing results that can happen when a team believes in each other, and more importantly, when each delegate believes in themselves and the greatness they are capable of. With incredible results at HNMUN, CHOMUN, and more, the Delegation Team smashed all of our previous records to have the best showing in McGill history, and words can’t begin to describe how proud I am of this team for not letting anything stand in their way from achieving their goals. I would like to thank all members of the Delegation Team, and our executive team, for their dedication, kindness, and passion to make this world better for all of us in it. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to this year, yet I know that this is only the beginning for McGill. Congrats McGill, and remember to never stop burning the boats!”
7. University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA reclaimed its spot as the top team on the West Coast in a particularly strong year for West Coast teams, and this is their second highest rank ever. But make no mistake that this is a West Coast team — this is nationally one of the best teams as they won the Outstanding Small Delegation award at two of the most competitive conferences: HNMUN and ChoMUN. The team also received Best Large at SBIMUN and put in consistently strong performances at McMUN, NCSC, and UCBMUN. They hosted LAMUN to help end the spring season strong.
From the team: “As Model UN at UCLA’s three head delegates we are unbelievably proud of how much UCLA’s Travel Team accomplished this year. Like many other teams across the circuit, this virtual year presented a surprising set of challenges for UCLA’s team – how can we keep travel the equitable experience UCLA always strives for? How do we train delegates for virtual conferences when none of us have experienced them either? But when the Travel season started and the three of us were met with passionate dedication from our old members and eager excitement from our new ones, we knew that UCLA would still manage to thrive during this unique year. Thanks to all their dedication, UCLA was able to score an Outstanding Small Delegation at HNMUN for the first time in the team’s history! We welcomed a lot of new faces to our Model UN family this year and while we are sad our own time on the circuit ended remotely, we are so excited for UCLA’s Travel Team to return to an in-person year and for all our baby freshmen to have an opportunity to meet the Model UN community. We hope UCLA’s Travel Team enjoyed traveling with “the matriarchy” as much as we enjoyed working with you! We know Model UN at UCLA’s Travel Team will continue to be a competitive but welcoming presence on campus and across the circuit.”
8. Florida State University
Florida State continues to climb the rankings, checking in this year at #8, which is tied for its highest rank ever. This was fueled by the fourth most individual awards on the circuit this year. The team had the highest weighted scores at NCSC and UCBMUN — and the rankings reflect that despite the team losing out by ratio for delegation awards at both. The team also received the Best Large Delegation at &MUN and MUNE, and the Outstanding Small Delegation at YUMUNC. FSU will be hosting its inaugural NoleMUN conference next year.
From the team: “The FSU World Affairs Program’s (WAP) Model United Nations Team attended eight conferences this year and finished with Best Large Delegation at MUNE, FLCS, VICS, and &MUN, Best Small Delegation at AIRMUNC, Outstanding Small Delegation at YUMUNC, and record performance at NCSC. Simultaneously the team has prepared for its first ever collegiate ranked conference, NoleMUN, to debut September 16th – 19th. WAP credits the majority of its success to its dedicated members that never looked back on in-person travel and instead strove to further FSU’s rankings. Also creditable are the new training and recruitment methods put in place by leadership to meet the demand of our new virtual environment. These tactics allowed some of the best and brightest FSU freshmen to join the program and, in turn, significantly boost rankings. WAP looks forward to the year ahead and hopes to welcome any and all delegations to Tallahassee for NoleMUN I this September. Go Noles!”
9. Clark University
Clark has been ranked for almost the entire history of the rankings, but this year is special — this is Clark’s first time breaking into the Top 10 and is the team’s highest rank ever. Rather than relying on winning at a few large conferences, Clark attended and consistently won awards at many conferences this year, including HNMUN, McMUN, ChoMUN, UCBMUN, LAMUN, &MUN, and HallMUN.
From the team: “This season, MUN at Clark adopted a new approach to participating in MUN through a revised strategy of team recruitment and competing. The awards our team received this year is a testament to the incredible work put in by organizational leaders to ensure the COVID model of competing remains accessible to new delegates as well as ensuring our delegates feel comfortable in their abilities when they enter their zoom rooms. Integral to this model of learning and teaching are the investments made available to first-year students, such as allowing them to compete on the travel team and providing them leadership positions within the club. This conference season, MUN at Clark enlarged its list of conferences to more competitions outside the North East, such as UCBMUN and LAMUN, as well as saw increases in the size of its travel and home teams. MUN at Clark delegates will be fully equipped to compete and succeed in the circuit through the next generation of MUNchkins, and next year’s leadership will have an exceptional team prepared for anything.”
10. University of Virginia
UVA breaks into the Top 10 for the first time in team history, and this is the team’s highest rank ever. The team’s biggest achievements all occurred on the opposite coast that it would’ve rarely had the chance to travel to if it weren’t for virtual. The team won Best Large Delegation at UCBMUN and Outstanding Large Delegation at LAMUN. UVA also contended for a delegation award at ChoMUN and had a strong performances at NCSC, &MUN, and YUMUNC. They hosted VICS.
From the team: “After last year’s historic success, Model UN at UVA came back to the circuit eager to keep up our growth and have even more fun! From countless zoom socials and practices, to dinners on the Lawn, our team put forth our best efforts to make this year another success story – and we’re proud to say we achieved that goal. We reworked our training curriculum, recruited an unprecedented number of first-time delegates, and successfully implemented a new mentorship program. After a competition hiatus until January of 2021, we grew the size of our traveling corps, sent talented delegations to more conferences in one semester than we ever have before, and learned so much more about online MUN than we ever wanted. MUN at UVA even designed and helped conduct our very first “Diplomacy in Practice” which was centered around GA-style simulations. We want to give special thanks to our graduating fourth-years and the rest of our International Relations Organization for their contributions to the team and the Organization at large. Finally, we also wanted to say – next year’s Model UN conferences can’t come soon enough!”
11. The College of William and Mary
William & Mary took the initiative to actively collaborate with other colleges this year — a noble feat in building relationships and supporting each other. That likely also helped boost up the team’s skills to achieve its highest rank in nearly a decade. Its top performances included receiving the Outstanding Large Delegation at NCSC and the Outstanding Small Delegation at ChoMUN. The team also won awards at McMUN, UCBMUN, LAMUN, and HallMUN, among others. And the team hosted &MUN to help end the spring season on a high note.
From the team: “William & Mary’s Model UN Team has worked tirelessly the past year to compete on the circuit and engage with MUN despite the pandemic. W&M attended a total of nine conferences this year and jointly hosted multiple virtual MUN training simulations with other universities on the circuit. Throughout this year, we continued our dedication to fostering an inclusive and diplomatic MUN environment while also advancing our team competitively, bringing home delegation awards at NCSC, AirMUNC, and ChoMUN. Thank you to all members of W&M Travel MUN for their dedication to our team during these challenging times, and we look forward to hopefully seeing everyone on the circuit in-person this upcoming fall!”
12. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley competed and consistently won at a national schedule of conferences: HNMUN, ChoMUN, NCSC, LAMUN, and SBIMUN. Their best performance was at HNMUN, where they contended for a delegation award. Berkeley also hosted a resurgent UCBMUN, which was well-attended nationally and was the largest conference hosted by a West Coast team.
From the team: “This year has been difficult for MUN teams all across the country, especially with the cancellation of all in-person conferences. However, we are so proud of how much dedication and passion our members have had throughout the past, turbulent year. From online pre-conference hype sessions to scrimmages with other schools, our team still created some great travel memories together. Because of these online travel memories, UCBMUN members have continued to grow into a close-knit family. We look forward to the next year of in-person conferences and where the next Head Delegates (Anthony Jorge, Sharicka Zutshi, Abhinav Subramaniam) will lead us!”
13. Yale University
Yale is the top ranked Ivy League team this year and maintained consistency when many of its peers were much less active on the circuit. Yale usually wins big at only a few of the most competitive conferences, and this year was no exception — the team contended for a delegation award at HNMUN and had a strong performance at ChoMUN. Yale also took the initiative to redesign and rebrand its previous SCSY conference into the Yale University Model United Nations Conference (YUMUNC).
From the team: “Despite the transition to virtual conferences, MUNTY had a wonderfully successful year thanks to a revitalized training program which enabled the team to adapt and promote team bonding in new innovative ways. In addition, we welcomed one of the most engaged and dedicated freshman classes ever and were lucky to have an amazing group of seniors and upperclassmen to welcome them onto the team and to campus during such unconventional times. With a new training program modified to a virtual competition setting, MUNTY experienced a positive shift in dedication to conference preparation while finding new ways to connect within and beyond training. We want to especially thank all our seniors who have been instrumental this year and will be sincerely missed!”
14. Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna made it known that many teams, including themselves, faced challenges in attending conferences this year and that rankings would not fairly represent those difficulties Nevertheless, the team was able to attend a few conferences in the second semester and took home Best Large Delegation at LAMUN and awards at HNMUN and ChoMUN.
From the team: “From winning Best Large at LAMUN to attending our first CHOMUN, CMCMUN has had a memorable year on the circuit. This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming a wonderful set of new members into our club and witnessing the resilience of our team as we navigated through uncharted waters. Despite it being an unprecedented year of virtual conferences, CMCMUN continued to thrive, grow, and push our limits as a family. To our seniors, keeping a team afloat during this year was no easy task; we are so immensely grateful. It was truly a team-building year for CMCMUN, and we couldn’t be more proud of how far the team has come – both competitively on the circuit and as a family. CMCMUN can’t wait for what next year has in store for us; we’re ready to hit the ground running.”
15. University of California, Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara enters the Top 25 rankings for the first time in team history. The team was able to receive awards at McMUN and ChoMUN — perhaps being one of the beneficiaries of virtual conferences making MUN more accessible — alongside strong wins on the West Coast at UCBMUN and LAMUN. UCSB was also one of the admirable leaders in the Fall by hosting SBIMUN when many other Fall conferences decided to cancel, thereby jumpstarting the college circuit.
From the team: “In a year heavily impacted by COVID-19, we have proudly watched Model UN at UCSB grow to heights far beyond our expectations. With talented freshmen, inspired underclassmen and dedicated juniors / seniors, the team has advanced our club mission both competitively and culturally, achieving our first ever Top 25 ranking. While we were unable to convene as a group, the connections made across all of our members made this year have made this year truly memorable. From late-night “lib” hours on Zoom debating milk to pre-conference hype sessions, every moment spent with members of the UCSBMUN family has been a joy. To our departing members, best of luck on your future endeavors and to the rest of the team, we can’t wait to see where you bring UCSBMUN next year. As always, they didn’t want the smoke 🙂 “
16. University of Alabama
Alabama is on the rise, topping its breakthrough performance last year with an even higher rank this year. The team received the Outstanding Large Delegation award at HallMUN and awards at McMUN, ChoMUN, NCSC, &MUN, and MUNE. They immediately leveraged their success last year to launch their AIRMUNC college conference this year. This conference should be included in the weighted conferences list.
From the team: “The University of Alabama Model UN Team entered this season determined to defend their place in the Top 25 and adapt to the virtual environment. Despite the fall traditionally being our weaker semester, the team got off to an unprecedented start thanks to a strong class of Freshmen that immediately showed they had a lot to offer. The team’s dedication to Model UN allowed Alabama to compete in nine conferences this year, awarding at all and taking home the team’s first-ever delegation award at a ranked conference. The dedication didn’t end there as many on the team helped to host our inaugural collegiate conference, AIRMUNC. Our team has proved we can hang with the best, and we plan to continue this momentum as things (hopefully) go back to normal in the Fall. Roll Tide!”
17. University of Southern California
USC had the challenge of its TrojanMUN being among the first college conferences needing to cancel in the Fall, but that didn’t prevent the team from notching its fourth consecutive Top 25 ranking — giving the team its first graduating class to have always been ranked. Focusing on the West Coast this year, USC received the Outstanding Large Delegation at UCBMUN and awards at LAMUN and SBIMUN.
From the team: “MUNSC is incredibly grateful for our community and the support that it provides, especially over these challenging virtual semesters. This year, we worked hard to adapt to the online platform and create both a welcoming community and numerous opportunities to develop competitive skills. We welcomed two amazing new member classes who have already shown their talent on the circuit and their deep commitment to the team. MUNSC also took advantage of the unique circumstances of the semester and started a community service initiative to teach Model UN to local high schools in South Central Los Angeles. This spring, MUNSC hosted our annual high school conference SCMUN virtually, which has made us all the more excited for the return of TrojanMUN in the fall. Every team member continues to go above and beyond with their dedication and enthusiasm for the team, allowing us to grow not only in terms of achievement on the circuit, but also in the community we’ve built. We are so excited for what the future holds! FIGHT ON!”
18. Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal enters the Top 25 rankings for the first time in team history. The team is part of an all-time high of four Canadian teams to make the final Top 25, and is the biggest beneficiary of Canadian conferences standing out this year. In particular, they won the Best Large Delegation award at CONMUN. They also received awards at their hometown conference, McMUN.
From the team: “Université de Montréal Model United Nations inc. is proud to continue its meteoric rise and crack the top 25 for the first time this year. Due to the truly unique MUN season and a complete restructuring of our delegation team, it is fair to say that 2020-2021 was a transformative year for the team. This restructuring, combined with the incredible work of our delegates, has allowed us to launch into the top 25. We did more than just win as a team, we thrived as a family. Everyone, from the newest delegate to the most senior veteran, is here to encourage their siblings. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part about this past year was that we never had the chance to all meet in person; we never had the chance to make unforgettable memories travelling around the continent or even just establishing traditions like our delegation handshake. While we cannot wait to continue improving as a delegation next year, what we are even more eager for is the opportunity to meet and develop the camaraderie that we all know is essential to a successful MUN team. This year’s success is a product of the hard work and dedication of each and every delegate, executive and board member. We did it! Nous avons fait rugir la montagne. We cannot wait to see where Alexander Rizkallah, our incoming CEO & Emanuel Louis, our incoming Head Delegate will lead us next year! ALLEZ LES BLEUS! We would like to send a special mention to Papa Bear/Harvey & Mike aka Ramzi Ajami & Anthony Lebert for always being available and for sharing your passion and your love for Model UN with us, we will miss you dearly!”
19. Concordia University
Concordia is a rising power in college Model UN. This is the third year in a row that the team is ranked, and it has been ranked higher each year. They received the Outstanding Small Delegation at MUNE and awards at HNMUN, McMUN, ChoMUN, and YUMUNC. Furthermore, their CONMUN conference is now included in the weighted conferences and particularly gave a boost to Canadian teams this year. They are part of the all-time high of four Canadian teams to make the final Top 25.
From the team: “Concordia Model UN continued to anchor itself as a top Canadian school despite the unique trials of the year. Faced with the Difficulty of Virtual Model UN, motivation was at times scarce. However, the common passion shared amongst our delegates fueled their willingness to compete and succeed in the most challenging conferences. Concordia was also able to diversify its presence on the circuit and earn awards at three new conferences. Even though the team could not meet in person, this did not prevent us from forging that all-important team spirit. Late-night Zoom calls to discuss resolution ideas and crisis arches, helped the team create virtual friendships. With nearly all members returning next year, we cannot wait to see what kind of bonds translate when we can finally meet. Despite the current situation, Concordia model UN did not back down from new challenges. Along with the success of the delegation team, our conference, CONMUN, had its highest attendance ever. Our delegation team has seen exceptional growth over the past years and we are confident that our conference, CONMUN, will follow suit. The success of our team has always been founded on mutual support between delegates. With the prospect of in-person Model UN rapidly approaching, we are beyond excited to see how delegates will play a role in the success of the other and how Concordia Model UN will continue to amaze us.”
20. University of Georgia
Georgia breaks into the Top 25 for the first time in team history, and is right on the tails of Alabama for SEC supremacy. The team won the Outstanding Large Delegation award at MUNE — and surpassed in-state host Emory in the rankings in the process. They also received awards at ChoMUN and UCBMUN to build up their skills and network at the national level.
From the team: “The University of Georgia’s Model United Nations team has shone brightly despite the challenges of this year. We brought in one of the most dedicated teams we’ve ever seen and saw vast improvements across the board. As many of our seniors graduated this year, we really did our best to make it a great ending for them and use their leadership to teach our newer members by example. We attended more conferences than ever before, and we were able to have more of our members attend each one. This allowed for us all to improve. We would like to extend a special thank you and good-bye to our graduating seniors: Meredith Van De Velde, Ian Allen, Miranda Bourdeau, Manashi Patel, Maryam Shokri, Roshni Chagan, and Ivan Ruiz-Hernandez. More than anything, we’re proud of how much our team has grown, and we are looking forward to how our next leadership team expands on the great work done this year.”
21. The Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins enters the Top 25 for the first time in team history by consistently taking home awards at the five top conferences this year: HNMUN, McMUN, ChoMUN, NCSC, and UCBMUN. JHU is the college with the largest high school MUN conference that had yet to field a top 25 team until now, so there is potential to build up its college team in the coming years.
22. Harvard University
Harvard was the most active Ivy League presence on the circuit this year and consistently won awards across four conferences: ChoMUN, NCSC, LAMUN, and YUMUNC. They received the Best Small Delegation at YUMUNC. They also hosted HNMUN virtually, which was till the largest conference on the circuit and an admirable feat given their traditional international attendance.
23. Marianopolis College
Marinanopolis enters the final Top 25 for the first time in team history. The team has regularly been consistent in winning awards, and is a beneficiary of Canadian conferences standing out this year as they received their awards at McMUN and CONMUN. They are part of the all-time high of four Canadian teams to make the final Top 25.
From the team: “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, MariMUN has had a wonderful year, thanks to our close-knit, kind, and thoughtful delegates who are always willing to lend each other a helping hand. Even for our most experienced delegates, the difficulties of online conferences were a new hurdle to surmount – one that we could not have accomplished without the support that each member was willing to lend to their team. From the advice exchanged in group chats, to the supportive notes sent in committees, to the consolations and congratulations exchanged in delegation bonding events, every success that MariMUN delegates have experienced this year is a shared accomplishment we each hold close to our hearts. We are so proud of our delegates and what they have accomplished, but we also want to acknowledge the inspiring performance of every delegation that has participated in MUN during this challenging year. Teamwork makes the dream work!”
24. Northwestern University
Northwestern is a rising MUN team having hovered in and out of the Top 25 for the past four years. The team is back in the Top 25 this year after winning awards at the three of the most competitive conferences on the circuit: HNMUN, McMUN, and ChoMUN.
From the team: “The Northwestern Collegiate Delegation had an incredible year filled with zoom love, wild MUNday night meetings, some MUN in the SUN and buddying up with each other throughout the year! Unprecedented times called for unprecedented support, community, and dedication from our team and every single person rose to the occasion to represent Northwestern to exceed expectations. Between last minute pep talks to figuring out crisis arcs to putting out fires together mid conference – all over screens – this team banded together to have a truly memorable year. There’s only better yet to come for this team, and the energy and excitement of NUMUN right now is electric. Conferences were a whirlwind to say the least, but we are so excited to be back on the circuit in real time! – Keerthi Yalamanchili, Director of Competition, NUMUN.”
25. George Washington University
GW’s top performance this year came from NCSC, a conference where they have traditionally performed well by bringing many of their freshmen.
From the team: “GW’s successes this year, especially in the freshman class, is a testament to the passion and dedication of our delegates despite the unusual circumstances. We were continually amazed at how even though a Zoom call was the medium of competition, the entire circuit still came out in force to put on a great year and inspire everyone to keep going when we’re finally able to compete in person again, delegate socials and all. We loved seeing so many friendly faces and are excited to see the circuit back in action soon!”
TOP 50 (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
The five closest teams to making it into the Top 25 were: Queen’s University, Stanford, NYU, Seton Hall, and Minnesota.
| Baruch College |
| Brown University |
| Carleton |
| Case Western Reserve University |
| Champlain College |
| College of the Canyons |
| Dawson College |
| Howard Payne University |
| Indiana University |
| John Abbott College |
| Michigan State University |
| Middlebury College |
| New York University |
| Queen’s University |
| Saint Louis University |
| Seton Hall University |
| Stanford University |
| The Ohio State University |
| University of Michigan |
| University of Minnesota – Twin Cities |
| University of Toronto |
| University of Utah |
| University of Western Ontario |
| Western University |
| York University |
TOP 75 (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Note: there are more than twenty five colleges in this tier due to a tie for 75th place.
| Collège Jean de Brebeuf |
| College Sainte-Anne |
| Cornell University |
| Elon University |
| Emory University |
| Faculte de Droit – Universite Laval |
| Northeastern University |
| Northern Arizona University |
| Norwich University |
| Oakland University |
| Pomona College |
| The University of Texas at Austin |
| University of California, San Diego |
| University of California, Santa Cruz |
| University of Central Florida |
| University of Eastern Illinois |
| University of Florida |
| University of Guelph-Humber |
| University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign |
| University of Maryland |
| University of North Carolina, Charlotte |
| University of San Francisco |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Vanier College |
| Virginia Tech |
| Washington College |
| Washington University in St Louis |
***
Congratulations to all the College Model UN teams and conferences for making Model UN happen during the 2020-21 school year. We know many are looking forward to Model UN return in-person next season, and we’re excited to see how the circuit continues to adapt and grow.
