Institute for Speech and Debate
About Institute for Speech and Debate
The Institute for Speech and Debate (ISD) runs summer speech and debate camps for middle and high school students. ISD says it has been teaching since 2012, and summer 2027 will be its fifteenth summer institute. Both 2027 sessions are hosted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Session 1 runs 26 June to 9 July 2027, and Session 2 runs 11 to 24 July 2027. Most students pick one competitive event to study. The options are Congressional Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory and Informative Speaking, and Interpretation of Literature. Students who are new to the activity can take Foundations of Public Speaking and Debate instead, choosing a Public Speaking track or a Debate track. ISD also runs a Coaches Clinic for teachers, both at UNC-Chapel Hill and online. Each student program has a two-week or a one-week option, and students can either live on campus or commute. Two-week tuition is $3,999 residential or $2,799 commuter. One-week tuition is $2,999 residential or $2,199 commuter. Residential fees include all meals and room and board. Commuter fees include lunch and dinner. Every enrollment is non-refundable, and ISD offers limited need-based financial aid.
Teaching style
ISD teaches in small groups, with a lot of individual coaching. It says an adult senior instructor teaches every lab. Junior instructors, all top former competitors, rotate so that every student gets to work with them. The two-week program covers the fundamentals in week one and puts them into practice in week two. The one-week program covers only the fundamentals. The Foundations residential schedule shows how full the days are. The day starts with breakfast at 8:00am. Then come a lecture, labs, research and one-on-one work, and collaborative work. Evening activities and logic games run until 8:00pm, and quiet hours start at 10:00pm. In the second week, Foundations students choose one event or debate format. They then build a final piece they can reuse at tournaments or in school presentations.
Reputation & Succeed take
ISD calls itself the nation's premier summer camp for speech and debate. That's ISD's own description. ISD says its alumni have won the Tournament of Champions, National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Nationals and the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament. It also says many alumni come back to teach as junior instructors. No outside reviews or rankings are published to back up these claims.
Our take
In Succeed's view, ISD suits two kinds of student. One already knows which speech or debate event they want to improve in. The other is new to the activity and wants a structured start. ISD is unusually open about what parents tend to worry about. It publishes its tuition, staff background checks, staff training and the on-campus nurse. The trade-offs are cost and commitment. Two weeks residential costs $3,999 before flights. Every enrollment is non-refundable, and a $200 late-registration fee applies after 31 May 2027. If cost is a barrier, we'd suggest applying for financial aid before 1 March 2027. ISD hands out its limited funds first come, first served.
ISD sets itself apart on who teaches and how closely, rather than on location or price. It says an adult senior instructor with a college degree leads every lab. Junior instructors, who are former top competitors, rotate across the groups. ISD also says it marks faculty as confirmed only after they've signed a letter of intent. It publishes its 2027 staff pay and says everyone at the same level is paid equally. These are ISD's own descriptions of what makes it different.
Who this provider suits
Who should choose them
This may suit you if you're in middle or high school and want focused coaching in one competitive speech or debate event. It also works for beginners, because the Foundations program is built for students who are new to speech and debate. Families who want a residential camp with published safety standards, an on-campus nurse and supervised evening activities will find those details clearly set out. If you can commit to two weeks, you get a week of fundamentals followed by a week of putting them into practice.
Who it may not suit
Who should skip it: families who need flexibility on money, because every enrollment and tuition payment is non-refundable. Students who can only attend the second week of a session can't take the one-week option, because one-week students must attend the first week. Interpretation of Literature has no one-week option at all. If you're too young to fly alone, a parent will need to travel with you, because ISD won't provide unaccompanied minor service in 2027. Both 2027 sessions are at UNC-Chapel Hill, so there's no other campus to choose.
Frequently asked questions
Programs by Institute for Speech and Debate
ProgramCongressional Debate Summer Camp
Organized by Institute for Speech and Debate
Dates
June to July 2027, 4 sessions
Location
Chapel Hill
Duration
One week or two weeks
ProgramExtemporaneous Speaking Summer Camp
Organized by Institute for Speech and Debate
Dates
June to July 2027, 4 sessions
Location
Chapel Hill
Duration
1 or 2 weeks
ProgramInterpretation of Literature Summer Camp
Organized by Institute for Speech and Debate
Dates
June to July 2027, 2 sessions
Location
Chapel Hill
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramLincoln-Douglas Debate Summer Camp
Organized by Institute for Speech and Debate
Dates
June to July 2027, 4 sessions
Location
Chapel Hill
Duration
1 or 2 weeks
ProgramOriginal Oratory and Informative Speaking Summer Camp
Organized by Institute for Speech and Debate
Dates
June to July 2027, 4 sessions
Location
Chapel Hill
Duration
1 or 2 weeks
