Up to Us Campus Competition: Apply Today to Make an Impact on Campus

Be the voice of your generation and create a meaningful impact on your campus community. The annual Up to Us Campus Competition gives select teams from colleges and universities nation-wide training and funds to run tailored campus campaigns to educate their peers and inspire collective action. Prizes include $10,000 and paid trips to world-class conferences, among other exciting opportunities. Don’t miss out! Space is limited and applications are due February 12.

What are the benefits of joining the competition?

Every student team who competes in the Up to Us Campus Competition will receive the necessary funding to execute thought-provoking campaigns. All you need is passion and creativity and our dedicated staff will help support you with the rest.
  • Gain resume-building skills in areas including leadership, strategy development, and community engagement.
  • Build your impact network by gaining unparalleled access to thought-leaders in areas including public policy, fiscal policy, and social entrepreneurship, and by connecting with fellow emerging leaders.
  • Access exclusive prizes, experiences, and more based on their final ranking. A select group of top-performing students will be invited to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with policy organizations, civic groups, and leaders from across the political spectrum to discuss the next generation's stake in fiscal issues.
  • Join the Up to Us alumni network and have access to a whole new batch of exclusive career-enhancing opportunities and events.

Why does fiscal policy matter?

America's fiscal path is not sustainable:
  • In just over a decade, interest on the debt will be $5.2 trillion, becoming the third-largest federal program.
  • The rising federal debt could reduce the real income for a 4-person family by as much as $16,000, on average, in 2047.
  • The next generation faces the highest amount of student debt on record, with 42% of all 25- to 34-year-olds holding student debt.
Faced with rising student debt burdens, stagnant wages, and a higher cost of living, our generation faces obstacles to growing assets, such as buying a home. Rising debt will hurt our economic prospects and our ability to invest in the future and failing to tackle our fiscal challenges now means even deeper challenges down the road. Despite our generation’s economic challenges due to the national debt, we remain optimistic and empowered to drive change toward a brighter future. You have the power to bring this conversation to your campus and community. By joining this cohort of emerging leaders, you can help shape the economic future our generation will ultimately inherit.

How did Up to Us start?

Up to Us was launched in 2012 with a mission to create a unique non-partisan program that provides emerging leaders a platform for initiating collaborative discussions on the long term national debt. Since 2012, Up to Us has reached more than 230,000 students on over 400 campuses in all 50 states. There are no sides, only solutions in the Up to Us movement.

Get involved, join the movement

There are a number of ways you can get involved with Up to Us:
  • Enter the Campus Competition - Make an impact on campus, while gaining access to leadership development and incredible prizes in the annual Campus Competition.
  • Sign the pledge - Join 100K+ of your peers by taking direct action to let your representatives know that a fiscally sound future is important to our generation.
  • Host or attend an event - Select from an event catalog to discover how you can bring the Up to Us movement to your campus and community.
"We learned just how powerful young minds can be when an issue is addressed, together." Fiorella Riccobono, Up to Us alumni.

About Up to Us Up to Us is the only nationwide, campus-based campaign focused on building a sustainable economic and fiscal future for America's next generation. Through creative campaigns at colleges and universities across the country, emerging leaders power the Up to Us movement by education and engaging their peers on the risks presented by America's overwhelming debt.