College Bowl

Since 1985, the College Bowl Competition has tested the knowledge of student teams from across the United States in the following areas: food science and technology, the history of foods and food processing, food law, and general IFT/food-related trivia. The College Bowl is designed to facilitate interaction among students from different universities and provides a forum for students to engage in friendly competition.

New in 2027

College Bowl Rotational Hosting Model is Back

Starting with the 2026-2027 academic year, College Bowl is returning to a regional hosting model to make participation easier, planning more predictable, and enable connections between students, universities, and our local food science communities.

Check out the universities hosting in 2027 and learn more below!

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pacific Southwest Region
Louisiana State University

South Central Region
North Dakota State University

North Central Region
Oregon State University

Pacific Northwest Region
Pennsylvania State University

Central Atlantic Region
The Ohio State University

Midwest Region
University of Florida

Southeast Region
University of Massachusetts Amherst

North Atlantic Region

Have Questions About the New Hosting Model?

These FAQs provide an overview of the new regional hosting model, including host school selection, available support, timelines, and what participants can expect.

Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, the IFTSA College Bowl is returning to the tradition regional hosting model in place prior to the pandemic. This means each region will have a designated host university that’s named in advance, with the hosting duties rotating between universities annually.
In addition to resuming a tradition, this structure allows for earlier planning timelines, creates a more consistent experience for College Bowl participants, distributes hosting responsibilities more equally, and re-energizes the connections between students, universities, and local IFT Sections.
No. The competition remains focused on food science and technology knowledge, teamwork, and friendly competition among students. These changes involve how events are hosted and supported.

College Bowl host universities are selected through a regional rotation model. This allows schools to prepare to host the event well in advance while giving all schools in the region an opportunity to serve as host.

Below is the hosting schedule for the next three years.

Region	2027	2028	2029
Central Atlantic	Penn State University	Virginia Tech	University of Maryland
Midwest	The Ohio State University	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Purdue University
North Atlantic	UMass Amherst	Rutgers University	Cornell University
North Central	North Dakota State University	University of Wisconsin–Madison	University of Minnesota
Pacific Northwest	Oregon State University	UC Davis	Washington State University
Pacific Southwest	Cal Poly Pomona	Chapman University	California State University Fresno
South Central	Louisiana State University	Texas A&M University	University of Arkansas
Southeast	University of Florida	Alabama A&M University	Mississippi State University

Universities can opt out using this form if they find themselves unable to host the event. The hosting responsibilities will then move to the next institution in the regional rotation.

Complete Form
IFT and IFTSA will supply competition materials, event planning resources, sponsorship guidance, a regional buzzer system shared within regions, and a $1,000 stipend to help offset event costs.
Yes. Host universities will provide at least one social group activity and one professional development opportunity in addition to the competition itself.
For questions about the College Bowl transition, regional hosting model, or upcoming host institutions, you can contact the IFT Academic Engagement team.

Christina Ginardi

Director, Academic Engagement
Email Christina

Stephanie Walaszek
Manager, Academic Engagement
Email Stephanie
The host university will work with participating schools in its region to identify a weekend in March or April that works best for the majority of institutions. Participating universities should stay in contact with their IFTSA Chapter leaders and faculty advisors, who will be receive event details.

Download Rules and Guidelines

Submissions close February 1, 2026.

Fill out the team captain information and submit 25 new questions.

Submit Your Application

College Bowl Regions

Learn about the IFTSA Student Chapters represented in each region.

Become a Student Chapter

- Delaware Valley University
- Middle East Technical University (Turkey)
- North Carolina State University
- The Pennsylvania State University
- University of Delaware
- University of Maryland
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Michigan State University
- Purdue University
- The Ohio State University
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Kentucky
- University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Wayne State University
- Cornell University
- McGill University
- Rutgers University
- University of Connecticut
- University of Maine
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Iowa State University
- Kansas State University
- North Dakota State University
- South Dakota State University
- University of Guelph
- University of Manitoba
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Columbia
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Brigham Young University
- Oregon State University
- University of Alberta
- University of British Columbia
- University of California, Davis
- University of Idaho
- Utah State University
- Washington State University
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Cal Poly SLO
- California State University, Fresno
- California State University, Long Beach
- California State University, Los Angeles
- California State University, Northridge
- Chapman University
- San Jose State University
- University of Arizona
- Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
- Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Querétaro
- Louisiana State University
- Oklahoma State University
- Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Monterrey
- Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Querétaro
- Texas A&M University
- Texas Tech University
- University of Arkansas
- University of Central Oklahoma
- Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola – USIL (Peru)
- Alabama A&M University
- Clemson University
- Florida A&M University
- Mississippi State University
- Tuskegee University
- University of Florida
- University of Georgia
- University of Puerto Rico