Be part of a full squad competitive debate team with a legacy of over 25 years of championship policy debate. Benefit from our full-time coaching staff and travel throughout the school year. Learn everything you need to join LU Debate and compete with a winning team at LU Debate Week.
Tuition scholarships are available for eligible first-year college debaters with or without experience, and returning junior varsity and varsity debaters.
With the Debate Team, you’ll learn how to grow in graduate-level research and presentation skills that will prepare you for your future. Get trained in critical thinking and argument strategy, and gain practical communication skills.
Debate has introduced me to a world of people, cultures, and ideas that have helped shape who I am. It has shown me that learning critical thinking and complex problem-solving isn’t just found in the classroom.
Dr. Amanda Koch
There is nothing like competitive debate to encourage deep research and sharp thinking while also building empathy with other viewpoints.
Dr. Zach Gautier
My experience doing college debate at Liberty was so practical in refining the key skills that I’ve needed in my career - critical thinking, research, writing, speaking, and the ability to see both sides of an issue. It also allowed me to manage the rigors of my master’s and doctoral work.
Travel With the Debate Team
The competitive debate season spans the entire academic year, so you can expect to travel multiple times each semester. All travel expenses are covered by LU Debate.
And we need you help! Mark your calendars for 9.30.26, and remember any amount helps. All funds go to the Dr.Rakeem Robinson Scholarship Memorial Fund.
Last weekend we kicked off our season at the George Mason University Debate Tournament. We had 12 teams competing across the Varsity, JV and Novice divisions. And we came home with 1 Varsity Championship trophy, 1 Novice finalist trophy and a whole lot of speaker awards!
Truly a great weekend to be a Liberty Flame! Go Flames!! 🔥 #goflames #libertydebate #libertyuniveristy
🚨Champion Alert 🚨
Congratulations to Liberty KS (Will/Nova) on winning the tournament. 🏆 They went 5-1 in prelims with a 5-1 record. Will was also 3rd speaker and Nova was 5th Speaker. Congratulations to Liberty ET (Hunter/Elijah) on being in the Semifinals, they also had a 5-1 prelim record, earning 1st seed. Hunter was 2nd Speaker while Elijah was TOP speaker! 🏆
Our Junior Varsity also had a great start to the season. Congratulations to Liberty GH (Mae/ Isaiah) on being Semifinalist and Liberty HR (David/Caonabo) on being Quarterfinalist. In addition to a great elimination round run David was 5th Speaker and Caonabo was 9th Speaker.
🔥🔥
And last but certainly not least we had SEVEN novice teams compete this past weekend. Congratulations to Liberty BF (Ezekiel/Soren) on being in the FINALS and in addition to great elimination round run Soren was TOP Speaker and Ezekiel was 4th Speaker. 🏆
We also had two other in novice elimination rounds. Congratulations to Liberty MS (Madison/Molly) on being in the Qaurterfinals after an amazing preliminary round where the went 5-0 a.ka UNDEFEATED, and Congratulations to Liberty RM (Samantha/McKenna) on being in the Octofinals.
Truly a great weekend to be a Liberty Flame! Go Flames #goflames #libertydebate #libertyuniveristy...
Congratulations to Liberty CL — Emmalee and Jayden on a great weekend at the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament, hosted by Northwestern University!
They finished the tournament 6–2, advancing to Double Octofinals as the 9th seed in a field featuring teams from Northwestern, Michigan, Harvard, and more.
Jayden also finished as the 15th speaker, with Emmalee finishing 38th.
Congratulations to Liberty CL on a strong weekend representing Liberty Debate! 🔥
This September, we’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Rakeem Robinson by investing in the next generation of Liberty Debate.
Whether it’s $5, $50, or $500, every gift adds up. Your support helps foster intellectual growth, nurture critical thinking, and empower students who carry forward the values that Dr. Robinson embodied.
📅 Giving Day | September 31, 2026 🎓 Dr. Rakeem Robinson Memorial Scholarship Fund
Every amount helps. Every donor matters. Together, we can make an impact that lasts far beyond the debate round.
