Start here: the 2027 application is open and the first useful date is December 1
The KU School of Business is accepting teams for the 2027 EY/University of Kansas National Business Challenge. The competition runs March 4–5, 2027 at Capitol Federal Hall in Lawrence, Kansas. KU says applications opened September 15, 2026.
| Item | Current published detail |
|---|---|
| Program type | Two-day undergraduate business case competition; not an internship |
| Status | Applications open |
| Application opened | September 15, 2026 |
| Early consideration | Apply by December 1, 2026 |
| Early selection announcement | December 15, 2026 |
| Final application deadline | February 1, 2027 |
| Final teams announced | February 5, 2027 |
| Competition | March 4–5, 2027 |
| Location | Capitol Federal Hall, KU School of Business, Lawrence, Kansas |
| Academic audience | Undergraduate students from all academic disciplines |
| Team rule | Teams of four preferred; maximum two teams per university |
| Format | Double-elimination tournament using real-world business case challenges |
| Published prize pool | More than $8,000 |
| Meals | Provided by the KU School of Business during the competition |
December 1, 2026 is the early sign-up deadline. Applications received by that date receive first-round consideration, with an early selection announcement on December 15. The final application deadline is February 1, 2027, and final teams are announced February 5.
Treat the event as a university-run case competition with EY support. KU describes EY as supporting the Challenge; the page does not describe participation as EY employment, an EY internship, or an automatic EY recruiting process.
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Eligibility is broad, but the university and team rules still matter
KU states that the Challenge is open to undergraduate students from all academic disciplines. That makes the competition usable by students outside business schools who can contribute analysis, research, technical knowledge, design, communication or another relevant perspective.
Teams of four students are preferred, and each university may enter no more than two teams. The current page does not publish a minimum GPA, required major, graduation-year window, prior-internship requirement or work-authorization rule. Do not turn those unstated items into eligibility claims.
Because the event is in person in Lawrence, every proposed teammate should confirm availability for March 4–5 before the team applies. A team that looks stronger on paper but cannot travel together is not a usable team.
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The useful work is the recommendation you can defend under repeated judging
KU describes a double-elimination tournament built around real-world business case challenges. Teams present solutions and continue or exit based on the tournament results. The public page does not publish the exact case prompt, preparation window, slide limit or judging rubric for the 2027 event.
Prepare for the decision pattern rather than guessing the prompt. Clarify the business problem, identify the decision maker, state the alternatives, support the recommendation with evidence and calculations, identify the assumption most likely to change the answer, and make every teammate able to defend the logic.
The strongest durable output is not attendance by itself. It is the case analysis, the recommendation and presentation process, plus any advancement or award you actually earn. Preserve your own contribution so you can explain it later without presenting the team result as individual work.
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Separate the prize pool from the costs KU actually says it covers
KU lists more than $8,000 in prize money. The published placement awards are $2,000 for first, $1,600 for second, $1,200 for third, $800 for fourth and $600 for fifth. KU also lists three to five additional $400 awards such as Most Innovative Solution, Best Presentation and Judge’s Choice.
The school says it provides meals during the competition. Its participant accommodation section lists a room block at The Eldridge Hotel for $159 per night for March 4–5, with checkout March 6 and a February 5 reservation deadline. The reviewed page does not state that KU or EY pays participants’ hotel or travel costs, so budget those separately unless your team receives different written instructions.
Prize money is conditional on placement. Do not describe the Challenge as a paid internship or list the prize as compensation before it is awarded.
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Use the exact competition stage on your resume
If your team is selected, you can name the EY/University of Kansas National Business Challenge and describe the business case analysis and presentation work you actually completed. If you place or receive a named award, add it only after the result is official.
Do not use an EY internship title or imply that EY employed or supervised you. KU describes the event as its national case competition with support from EY. The current page does not promise an EY interview, internship offer or accelerated recruiting path.
The most useful interview story will usually be one concrete decision: an assumption the team changed, a trade-off it quantified, evidence that altered the recommendation, or a judge question that exposed a weakness. Keep enough of the working material to reconstruct that story accurately.
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Apply early, then keep internship recruiting separate
A team that can apply by December 1 gets first-round consideration rather than waiting for the February 1 final deadline. Before submitting, confirm the four-person roster you want to use, the university’s two-team limit and everyone’s March availability.
If selected, prepare the case as a judged work product rather than a networking event. Assign analytical ownership, keep one evidence log, rehearse challenges to the recommendation, and preserve the final version plus your own contribution.
Continue applying to internships while the competition runs. The Challenge can strengthen later applications, but the reviewed 2027 page does not establish an EY internship conversion. Treat internships as a separate search and update your resume only when a selection, finalist result or award becomes official.
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