Joining Speech and Debate at UC San Diego
Team is Open for Enrollment Fall 2026!
2026 Season Flyer
How and When to Join the Team
Thank you for your interest in being a member of the UCSD Speech and Debate Team! For the 2026 Fall Quarter, we recruit new members at the start of Fall Quarter, but we accept emails of interest as early as Summer 2025! If you would like to be a member of the team, then please complete the following steps:
- Finish reading this page to get an idea of what it takes to be a member of the team, and check the Coaching and Events page to see the events that you can choose to compete in during your competitive journey. Feel free to contact the coach(es) listed in their respective pages if you have any questions about the event(s) of your interest.
- Send an email to the Speech and Debate Team’s email address (speechanddebate@ucsd.edu) expressing your interest in joining the team, or come to one of our GBMs at CAL from 7-10pm on Tuesday and Thursday
To get you quickly acclimated to the team for the 2026-2076 competitive season, we encourage you to send your email of interest or show up as soon as possible! We look forward to meeting you!
Why should I join the team?
The Speech and Debate Team is an official UCSD Program within the Communication Department!
Becoming a member on, and perhaps leader of, this team offers you a unique, valuable experience. While developing and honing skills that can strongly and favorably differentiate you in any career path you choose, you also represent your university by competing in intercollegiate speech and debate tournaments against dozens of colleges and universities from across the country. Successful team members enjoy competing against peers at other colleges, while striving to earn awards and trophies to display on our campus.
Finally, you can also receive four (4) course credits each quarter by competing on our team. Eligibility for credits is achieved when you enroll in COMM 80 OR 190, attend 90% of GBMs and practices for your desired events, and participate in 2 tournaments each quarter you are on the team. You may also receive Co-Curricular Credit from the UCSD Speech and Debate Team
What do I do as a member of the team?
We compete in Forensics Speech and Debate format competitions. As a member of a competitive team, we expect you to go to practices and GBMs consistently, and to go to as many tournaments as possible, considering your busy academic schedule. Check the FAQ’s for more information on how much time you can expect to invest, what competitions look like, etc.
If I have limited or no experience, in which speech events and/or debate formats should I begin?
If you have experience in Speech and Debate from high school or community college, please see our Speech Events and Debate Events pages for the array of events and formats in which we practice and compete. If you have no experience, see the Coaching page and discuss with coaches any events in which you may be interested. Our motto is, “If you have no experience in an event, we will help you become good at it; if you have experience, we will help you become great at it!
If you are still not sure where to start, we recommend you begin with Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speaking if you are interested in speech events, and IPDA if you are interested in debate events. However, there are no restrictions on what events you may enter, compete in, and practice, meaning you can try every event listed in our Coaching pages.