Colleges are looking for students who are globally aware and have leadership skills. These are the exact two qualities that Model UN emphasizes. This is why Model UN is one of the largest clubs on campus at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Georgetown, Berkeley, UCLA, McGill, and many other colleges that value Model UN students.
This list surveys at a high level the Model UN programs available at the US News & World Report top ranked universities. The three most common ways to participate in MUN at the college level are staffing the high school conference, staffing the college conference, and competing on the travel team.
Almost all of the US News Top 50-ranked universities have established Model UN programs! Many other top universities and liberal arts colleges also have great Model UN programs. MUN is also popular in Canada, the United Kingdom, and worldwide.
Let’s check out which US News Top 50-Ranked colleges have Model UN programs!
***
Model UN at US News Top 50-Ranked Universities
Universities are listed in the order of the US News & World Report rank for 2021.
1. Princeton University
The Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC) attracts over 1,000 students every Fall. Princeton hosts the Princeton Diplomatic Invitational at the college level and fields an active Model UN travel team. The Princeton International Relations Council is part of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the nation’s oldest collegiate political, literary, and debate society.
2. Harvard University
The Harvard International Relations Council is the largest collegiate Model UN organization in the world, and also one of the largest student clubs on the Harvard campus.
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN), was founded in 1953 and is one of the oldest high school MUN conferences in the world. Harvard hosts over 5,500 students at its HMUN Boston, HMUN China, HMUN India, and HMUN Dubai conferences.
Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN), hosts over 3,000 college delegates from over 80 countries every year and is the largest college Model UN conference in the world. They also host HNMUN Latin America.
Harvard also has a travel team that has always been ranked in the Top 25 in the nation, and is frequently among the Top 10 teams in the nation.
Some Harvard students also staff a separate college conference called Harvard WorldMUN, which is billed as the Olympics of Model UN since its host site rotates around the world every year. Recent editions were hosted in Madrid, Panama, Montreal, Rome, and Seoul.
3. Columbia University
The Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA) is the largest student club at Columbia University with over 400 members. They host crisis-style Model UN conferences at both the high school level (called CMUNCE) and the college level (called CMUNNY). Their travel team is consistently ranked in the Top 25 in the nation.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT hosts the MITMUNC high school conference, which focuses on smaller committees. Some of their topics have a science-focus, such as “promoting international collaboration in environmentally sustainable technological development” and “open access to scientific research.” MIT also hosts MITMUNC China.
4. Yale University
The Yale International Relations Association has over 350 members and is active in hosting Model UN conferences worldwide. Yale hosts the Yale Model United Nations (YMUN) conference, which is one of the largest high school MUN conferences held on a college campus. There is also a YMUN Korea and YMUN Taiwan, and a Yale Model Government Europe (YMGE).
Yale hosts the Yale University Model United Nations Conference (YUMUNC) at the college level and has a Model UN travel team that has always been ranked in the Top 25 in the nation.
6. Stanford University
Stanford hosts the Stanford Model United Nations Conference (SMUNC), with themes that “focus on the intersection of policy, technology, and entrepreneurship.” Stanford also has a travel team that competes on the college MUN circuit.
6. University of Chicago
There are two Model UN organizations at the University of Chicago with overlapping membership. The Model United Nations of the University of Chicago (MUNUC) hosts 3,000 students annually and is the largest conference in the Midwest and one of the largest in the nation. There is also a MUNUC China and MUNUC Dominican Republic conference.
The Chicago Model United Nations (ChoMUN) is the largest crisis-style Model UN conference on the college circuit. Most prominently, the University of Chicago has been the #1 ranked college Model UN team on the circuit more times than any other team.
8. University of Pennsylvania
The Penn International Affairs Association is one of the largest Model UN organizations in the world with 400 members. They host the largest college Model UN conference during the Fall semester, the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC). The Penn Model UN travel team has consistently been ranked among the Top 5 teams in the nation.
Penn students also have a separate group to run the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC), one of the largest high school conferences. ILMUNC has four international editions: ILMUNC India, ILMUNC China, ILMUNC Peru, and ILMUNC Vietnam.
9. The Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference (JHUMUNC) is one of the largest high school MUN conferences in the nation. The Johns Hopkins college MUN team entered the Top 25 rankings for the first time in 2021.
9. Northwestern University
Northwestern hosts the Northwestern University Model United Nations (NUMUN) for high school students. The Northwestern college MUN team made the Top 25 rankings in 2021.
12. Duke University
Duke hosts the Duke University Model United Nations (DUMUNC) high school conference, the Duke International Security Conference (DISCON) at the college level, and fields a college MUN travel team.
13. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth hosts the Dartmouth Model United Nations (DartMUN) for high school students in the Spring semester and has a travel team.
14. Brown University
Brown hosts the Brown University Simulation of the United Nations (BUSUN), one of the largest MUN conferences in the Fall semester. They also host the Brown University Crisis Simulations (BUCS) at the college level and have an active college MUN team.
14. Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt hosts the Vanderbilt University Model United Nations Conference (VUMUNC) and has an active college MUN travel team that has occasionally been ranked in the Top 25.
16. Rice University
Rice MUN is working on hosting a high school conference and developing a college travel team.
16. Washington University in St. Louis
The Washington University Model United Nations Symposium (WUMUNS) is a high school MUN conference that focuses on crisis committees, and the Washington University Model United Nations Conference (WUMUNC) is a college MUN conference.
18. Cornell University
Cornell hosts the Cornell Model United Nations Conference (CMUNC) at the high school level, the Cornell International Affairs Conference (CIAC) at the college level, and has an active college MUN team.
19. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame hosts the Notre Dame Model United Nations (NDMUN) high school conference and has a college MUN travel team.
20. University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA hosts two of the largest conferences on the West Coast: Bruin Model United Nations (BruinMUN) at the high school level and the Los Angeles Model United Nations (LAMUN) at the college level. Their college MUN travel team has averaged a Top 10 rank in the past six years.
21. Emory University
Emory has a college MUN team that is regularly ranked among the Top 25 in the nation, and hosts the Model United Nations at Emory (MUNE) college level conference. They are launching the Emory National Model United Nations (ENMUNC) for high school students.
22. University of California, Berkeley
There are two separate Model UN organizations on campus. Berkeley Model United Nations hosts the BMUN conference on campus. The conference is known as the oldest active Model UN conference in the world and the largest MUN conference on the West Coast.
The University of California, Berkeley Model United Nations hosts the UCBMUN college conference and fields a travel team that has always been ranked in the Top 25 in the nation.
23. Georgetown University
The Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA) is one of the largest and most successful Model UN organizations in the world. The Georgetown MUN travel team is consistently one of the Top 5 Model UN teams and achieved the #1 rank in 2021.
Georgetown hosts the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN), which draws over 3,300 high school students every year to DC and is notable for being one of the largest MUN conference fundraisers for charity. They also host the National Collegiate Security Conference (NCSC), which was a pioneer in creating crisis committees and is one of the largest crisis conferences at the college level.
The students also staff a plethora of global conferences, including NAIMUN China, NAIMUN Southeast Asia, GIRA Singapore Simulation, GIRA Kyrgyzstan, and NCSC Brazil.
24. University of Michigan
Michigan hosts the Model United Nations at the University of Michigan (MUNUM) for high school students and has a competitive travel team.
24. University of Southern California
USC hosts the Southern California Model United Nations (SCMUN) for high school students, the TrojanMUN conference for college students, and has a travel team that has made the Top 25 rankings in the past four years.
26. University of Virginia: The International Relations Organization at UVA hosts the Virginia Model United Nations (VAMUN) for high school students, the Virginia International Crisis Simulation (VICS) for college students, and has a travel team that is regularly ranked in the Top 25 of the college circuit.
28. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: UNC hosts the MUN at Chapel Hill (MUNCH) high school conference, the University of North Carolina MUN Conference (UNCMUNC) at the college level, and has an active travel team.
28. Wake Forest University: The Wake Forest International Affairs and Model UN Club participates in MUN conferences.
30. New York University: NYU hosts the New York University Model United Nations Conference (NYUMUNC) at the college level and has a travel team that has consistently been in the Top 25 rankings. They recently launched EmpireMUNC for high school students.
30. Tufts University: Tufts hosts the Tufts University Model United Nations (TUMUN) and has a MUN travel team.
30. University of California, Santa Barbara: UCSB hosts the GauchoMUN high school conference, the Santa Barbara Invitational (SBIMUN) college conference, and has a travel team that made the Top 25 rankings in 2021.
30. University of Florida: UF hosts the GatorMUN conference, which is one of the largest high school conferences in the Southeast. They also host the Florida Crisis Simulation (FLCS) at the college level and have a college MUN travel team.
34. University of Rochester: has a college MUN team
35. Boston College: hosts the EagleMUNC high school conference and has a travel team
35. Georgia Institute of Technology: hosts the GTMUN high school conference and has a travel team
35. University of California, Irvine: hosts the UCIMUN high school conference and has a travel team
35. University of California, San Diego: hosts the TritonMUN high school conference and has a travel team
39. University of California, Davis: hosts the DavisMUN high school conference, the AggieMUN college conference, and has an active travel team
39. The College of William & Mary: has a college MUN team that is consistently ranked in the Top 25. The International Relations Club hosts three conferences: WMIDMUN for middle school students, WMHSMUN for high school students, and &MUN for college students.
41. Tulane University: has a college MUN team
42. Boston University: The Boston University International Affairs Association is the largest club on campus. They have a college MUN team that have always been ranked in the Top 25, and host the BosMUN high school conference and BarMUN college conference.
42. Brandeis University: has a college MUN team
42. Case Western Reserve University: has a college MUN team and partners with the Cleveland Council of World Affairs to host a MUN high school conference
42. University of Texas at Austin: hosts the Central Texas MUN high school conference and has a travel team
42. University of Wisconsin, Madison: has a college MUN team
47. University of Georgia: hosts the UGAMUNC high school conference and has a travel team that entered into the Top 25 for the first time in 2021
47. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: hosts the MUN at Illinois conference and has a travel team
49. Lehigh University: attends the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference
49. Northeastern University: has an team that attends MUN, Model Arab League, and Model NATO conferences, and hosts the Northeast Regional Arab League conference.
49. Pepperdine University: awarded distinguished delegation at the 2021 NMUN conference
49. University of Miami: has a college MUN team that is consistently ranked in the Top 25, and hosts the MICSUN high school conference and 305MUN college conference.
Model UN at other Top Universities
American University: hosts the AmeriMUNC high school conference and has developed a college MUN travel team that has made the Top 5 rankings for the past three years.
Clark University: has a college MUN team that is regularly ranked in the Top 25, and is active in hosting Boston-area high school and middle school conferences.
Florida International University: Their travel team has always been ranked in the Top 25, including in the Top 5 for the past eight years. They host the FIMUN high school conference.
Florida State University: has a college MUN team that is regularly ranked in the Top 25, and is starting a NoleMUN college conference.
The George Washington University: hosts the large WAMUNC high school conference and the GWCIA middle school conference. Their travel team has always been ranked in the Top 25, and usually within the Top 10 teams.
Indiana University: has a travel team that has been recently ranked in the Top 25, and hosts Indiana MUN Conference for high school students.
Michigan State University: hosts the MSUMUN high school conference and RCMUN middle school conference. Their travel team is frequently ranked in the Top 25.
The Ohio State University: has a travel team that has occasionally made the Top 25 rankings.
Pennsylvania State University: hosts the PHUNC high school conference, PUNC college conference, and has an active MUN team.
Rutgers University: students can staff the RUMUN high school conference in partnership with the Institute for Domestic and International Affairs, or join their travel team.
Seton Hall University: hosts the SHUMUN high school conference. They also started a HallMUN college conference in 2021, and made the Top 25 rankings for the first time in 2020.
University of Alabama: has been ranked in the Top 25 for the past two years. They host the ALMUN high school conference and the AIRMUNC college conference.
University of Georgia: hosts the UGAMUNC high school conference, and their travel team made the Top 25 for the first time in 2021.
Model UN at Top Liberal Arts Colleges
Model UN is available at liberal arts colleges. Examples include:
Claremont McKenna College: CMC has a MUN travel team that has always been ranked in the Top 25, and hosts the McKenna MUN high school conference.
Mount Holyoke College: the women’s college is the host campus of the Five College Model United Nations in partnership with Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and UMass Amherst.
U.S. Military Academy at West Point: West Point is known for their respected college Model UN team that travels worldwide and has consistently been ranked in the Top 25.
Colleges & Universities at National MUN
Over 5,000 students participate at the National Model UN (NMUN) conferences held in New York City. Many of these MUN programs are led by professors and may be part of a MUN class.
Example of teams that received an Outstanding Delegation award in 2019 include:
| Alma College |
| Baylor University |
| Bergen Community College |
| Brigham Young University |
| California State Polytechnic Univ., Pomona |
| California State University, Sacramento |
| Cedarville University |
| The College of Idaho |
| Collin College |
| Georgia Southern University |
| Georgia State University |
| Irvine Valley College |
| Lone State College – Montgomery |
| Macalester College |
| New Mexico State University |
| Patrick Henry College |
| Rider University |
| Riverside City College |
| Santiago Canyon College |
| Sonoma State University |
| St. Petersburg College |
| Syracuse University |
| Texas Christian University |
| University of Bridgeport |
| University of New Haven |
| University of Texas at Dallas |
| University of Texas at Tyler |
| University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh |
| West Virginia University |
| Wright State University |
Top Canadian Universities
MUN is very popular in Canada. Some of the universities host high school and/or university level MUN conferences, and many of them have MUN travel teams. McGill University notably hosts the largest college MUN conference in Canada, McMUN. They also host the SSUNS conference for secondary schools and have a Top 25 ranked travel team.
| Carleton University |
| Concordia University |
| Marianopolis College |
| McGill University |
| Queen’s University |
| Université de Montréal |
| Université du Québec à Montréal |
| Université de Sherbrooke |
| University of Alberta |
| University of British Columbia |
| University of Guelph |
| University of Ottawa |
| University of Toronto |
| University of York |
Top UK Universities
Model UN is very popular across the U.K. and the rest of Europe. A common practice in Europe is that university students can independently register as delegates to many MUN conferences, and can apply to staff at MUN conferences hosted by other universities. Therefore, there is a lot of freedom of MUN participation regardless of the university a student attends.
University of Cambridge: Hosts the Cambridge University International Model United Nations (CUIMUN) conference.
University of Oxford: Hosts the Oxford International Model United Nations (OxIMUN) conference.
London International MUN: University students can staff or participate in one of the largest and diverse conferences in the world.
