Feb. 25 - Mar. 12

Join the Spring Unify Challenge College Bowl

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Experiencing the power of different perspectives

The Unify Challenge College Bowl is a virtual intercollegiate event where thousands of students are paired into one-on-one conversations across differences. (So, a conservative student from a community college in Texas might be matched with a liberal student from a four-year public university in Illinois.)

For about an hour, the pair discusses 18 hot-button issues like mental health, gun laws, immigration, and free speech on campus. The students share their points of view, find common ground, and discover that they can have a respectful conversation without conflict.

After taking the Challenge, students rate the experience highly and report an increased interest in participating in civic life.

With 10x growth in three years, the College Bowl has hosted more than 21,000 students from 221 institutions across 42 states to date.

8.9

average rating from students
(on a scale of 1-10)

80%

"The Unify Challenge helped me consider perspectives I hadn’t thought of before."

72%

"After the Challenge, I am more hopeful about the future of democracy (up from 42%)."

78%

"I felt comfortable sharing my views in class after the Challenge (up from 44%)."

Data from the Fall 2024 Unify Challenge College Bowl survey (n= 6,146)

From Alaska to Florida, students rise to the Challenge

When students dive into the Unify Challenge College Bowl, they meet face-to-face with a fellow student who they might never get to know in real life. Our College Bowl partners include traditional four-year colleges and universities, military academies, community colleges, religious private schools, and HBCUs.


Hover or tap on the yellow stars below to hear what students have to say.

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Here’s who participated in the latest College Bowl

Race / Ethnicity

Political Ideology

The College Bowl gets high marks

Across many disciplines and fields of study, professors and collegiate leaders integrate the Unify Challenge into their course work to foster civic skill development. In fact, 98% of college faculty surveyed said they would participate in the program again.

We do the heavy lifting for you. You'll receive:

A customized landing page for your school (view example)
Classroom materials for your students
A facilitation guide with example assignments for students
Live help for students during their Unify Challenges
Data and impact reports

Professor Jeff Wilson

“All of them said, I was really nervous about who I was gonna get paired with. And then almost all of them had an amazing experience."

Professor Leah A. Murray, Ph.D.

"This is the best way I’ve been able to do what I think is so important, which is getting young people to talk across all the differences."

Professor Clark Friesen

"Even some of the students who really disagreed (before) doing it...their responses were positive (after)."

Watch our team explain how it works

CASE STUDY

University of North Dakota Students Tackle Political Divides

Learn how the University of North Dakota implemented the College Bowl across all disciplines to deliver a powerful civic learning experience for its students.

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Ready to learn how you can bring the Unify Challenge College Bowl to your campus?

I'm a student