Students holding pencils

Collegiate Math Competitions

Undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in math competitions at the university, state and national levels.

Mathematics Department Prize Competition

This competition, held since 1983, is open to all undergraduates at the University of Kansas.    The written exam for each level covers six questions that must be completed in three hours.

The top finishers in each level (junior and senior) and the top first-year student receive a cash award.

This competition is held in the spring semester.

Kansas Collegiate Math Competition

This math competition is held in conjunction with the Kansas Section meeting of the Mathematical Association of America and is open to all Kansas colleges and universities.  Winning teams receive a cash award.

All undergraduates at KU are welcome to participate.

This competition is usually held in April.

Putnam Competition

Each year the Mathematical Association of America holds the William Lowell Putnam Competition for undergraduate math students. The competition is open to all regularly enrolled undergraduates in colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada.  This is a six-hour exam that tests originality as well as technical competence in undergraduate mathematics through differential equations.

The Mathematics Department gives cash awards to KU's top performers.

This competition is held in December.