The Chicago Debate Society is the official parliamentary debate team of the University of Chicago.

Who Are We?

The Chicago Debate Society is the reigning #1 college debate club in the country in American Parliamentary debate.

#1 Team in the US

CDS debaters have won the title of #1 Team of the Year for two years in a row in American parliamentary debate.

2023 APDA National Champions

UChicago championed APDA Nationals in 2023, in addition to placing 4 of our teams in the top 16 breaking teams at the tournament.

2x Worlds Semifinalists

CDS has broken at several British Parliamentary majors, including semifinals of the 2022 and 2024 Worlds University Debating Championship.

What We Do

We are a student-run registered academic organization that trains members to compete in the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA) circuit as well as in British Parliamentary (BP) debate against universities around the world.

As one of the oldest student organizations at the University, we play an important role in stimulating debate on campus. Through volunteering and public debates, we aim to teach discourse skills throughout the UChicago campus and Hyde Park area.

Grow As A Debater

Anyone can improve their debating skills! Our weekly meetings consist of practice rounds, drills, and seminars that teach debate style and argumentation. We send teams to tournaments almost every weekend throughout the school year.

We choose not to have a selective application process; there are no cuts. Still, we are one of the most competitively successful teams on the league! Last school year, we ended the APDA season as the best debate team in the country!

Get Involved

CDS has always been a tight-knit, supportive group. We welcome members of all experience levels to join the team. Our team not only attends tournaments hosted by other colleges across the country, but we also get the UChicago campus as a whole involved in debate.

We host tournaments, including the Langfan Constitutional Tournament, and hold public debates at least once a quarter, which often feature prominent figures in the topic that we are debating.

  • “I have always felt that everyone enters CDS at a different stage in abilities; I think our team really hones what people come in with to make them even better.”

    — Helen Wu, ‘25 —

  • “I love that CDS gives me the opportunity to get to learn about a variety of topics, all while meeting so many fun people with interesting perspectives on the world”

    — Sydney Cook, ‘26 —

  • “Whether it be bonfires, tame social events, or even practice, there are always ways to get to know other people on the team, relax, and have fun before or after a tough week of school.”

    — Ethan Ross, ‘24 —

  • “I'd never debated before attending college, and I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance and try it out with CDS. I get to be around a diverse group of incredibly opinionated, smart people and learn so many new things.”

    — Matthew Rubenstein, ‘24 —

  • “I love how much you can learn from each practice — even if I’m not competing at a specific tournament, I love going to the lectures and learning something new. I also love the novice and upperclassman friends I’ve made!”

    — Vera Chaudhry, ‘26 —

  • “I love the travel! Getting to see friends at other schools and making new ones while exploring cities on the university's dime is spectacular. There's no other club on campus which travels as often as CDS.”

    — Ethan Jiang, ‘25 —

  • “I really like all the stupid conversations we have; we have some SNL cast members on the team who make everything really fun”

    — Margaret Nakiganda, ‘26 —

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