University Math Competitions Directory
Published · Grade band: University (Undergraduate) · Topic: Mathematics
Most university students who were strong math competitors in high school arrive on campus without knowing that the undergraduate competition circuit exists. The transition from the AMC/AIME world to the Putnam and Mathematical Contest in Modeling happens with little fanfare — a poster in the math department, a mention by a professor, a club email that arrives in a crowded inbox. This directory is the overview that most first-year students do not encounter until they are already a year or two in.
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition — the gold standard
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is administered by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and is the premier undergraduate mathematics competition in the United States and Canada. It is held on the first Saturday of December each year.
The format is a six-hour exam divided into two three-hour sessions, with six problems in each session (twelve problems total). Problems require written mathematical proofs rather than multiple-choice or short-answer responses. The difficulty is extraordinary: in many years, the median score is around one out of 120 possible points. Even a score in the 25th percentile nationally is considered competitive.
Individual scores are reported; teams of three students from the same institution also receive a team ranking. Putnam Fellows — the top five individual scorers nationally — receive cash prizes; the top 200 receive honorable mention recognition. A high Putnam rank is a meaningful credential for graduate school applications in mathematics and theoretical computer science.
Registration is through your university’s mathematics department. Many universities post registration in September or October; confirm the deadline with your department because it varies by institution and the MAA’s institutional deadline is earlier than most students expect.
Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest
The Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest (VTRMC) is held in October — two months before the Putnam — and functions for many students as a warm-up and preparation benchmark. The contest consists of seven problems in two and a half hours, with written solutions required. It is organized regionally, with institutions across the US administering it simultaneously.
Registration is through your institution’s math department; many universities that participate in the Putnam also offer the VTRMC. The problems are generally considered easier than Putnam problems, which makes it a useful confidence-building experience early in the fall.
Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM)
The Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), run by COMAP (Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications), is fundamentally different from the Putnam and VTRMC. Instead of proving theorems, teams of up to three students spend a four-day weekend in February building a mathematical model for an open-ended real-world problem. The output is a written technical paper, not a set of exam answers.
MCM problems have included topics like traffic flow optimization, sustainability modeling, and epidemiological forecasting. The companion contest, ICM (Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling), runs simultaneously and addresses problems with more explicit social-science or policy dimensions. Teams choose one problem and submit their paper by the deadline.
Results are classified as Outstanding, Meritorious, Honorable Mention, or Successful Participant. Outstanding papers are published in COMAP’s journal. The MCM is registered through COMAP and is one of the few major undergraduate math competitions where the registration and entry process is straightforward for self-organizing student teams without faculty coordination.
ICPC — a brief note
The International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is the world’s largest collegiate programming contest. Although it involves solving mathematical and algorithmic problems, its primary focus is programming implementation rather than pure mathematics. Students who competed in USACO in high school and want to continue in the programming-competition world should look at the ICPC Regional contests. It is administered by university ACM chapters and feeds into a World Finals each year.
Finding opportunities on your campus
Almost all undergraduate math competition activity is organized through the mathematics department or through a student math club (often affiliated with MAA, Pi Mu Epsilon, or a university-specific club). If you arrive at a math-strong university and see no announcement of these contests, ask a professor or department administrator directly — the programs exist but are sometimes organized by individual faculty who do not advertise broadly.
For high school students who will be starting university: the best preparation for the Putnam is familiarity with proof-writing. Working through the Art of Problem Solving Precalculus and exploring some undergraduate-level number theory and combinatorics will serve you better than any Putnam-specific preparation guide.
About this directory: Meli Review publishes an independent directory of academic contests for students from primary school through university. Details were accurate at publication; always verify registration deadlines and procedures with your institution’s mathematics department. See also: High school math pipeline.