The University Interscholastic League: Competition Information
The University Interscholastic League (UIL), established by the University of Texas at Austin, is an organization that creates and administers almost all academic, athletic, and music competitions in the state of Texas. More than just overseeing high school sports, the UIL is a catalyst for student growth, coordinating a wide range of extracurricular activities that encompass academics, performing arts, and athletics.
With a rich history and a commitment to fostering well-rounded education, the UIL has transformed the lives of countless young Texans, providing them with platforms to showcase their talents, develop crucial skills, and build lasting connections. In this blog post, we are exploring UIL's origins, the diverse array of activities it offers, and the profound impact it has had on students and communities.
What is the University Interscholastic League?
Established by The University of Texas at Austin, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is a beacon of leadership and support for public school debate and athletic instructors. Over the course of more than a century, the organization has grown to become the largest inter-school association of its kind worldwide. Today, the UIL remains under the stewardship of the University of Texas and is overseen by the Vice President for Diversity & Community Engagement.
The UIL's primary mission is to furnish enriching extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests for educational purposes. UIL represents fair, high-quality educational competition, managed and executed by school officials on a level playing field.
What is the purpose of interscholastic activities?
Interscholastic activities offer students various benefits beyond academic or athletic achievement. These activities teach important life skills such as teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, and resilience. Furthermore, students learn to proudly represent their school, and develop self-motivation, intellectual curiosity, and physical fitness. Interscholastic competition helps students broaden their horizons and enrich their education. Overall, these activities prepare students for a more fulfilling and productive life.
University Interscholastic League Events
University Interscholastic League events can be split into 3 categories: Academic, Athletic, and Music. Events are also split into High School and Elementary School. The information below is structured primarily for High School events but rules may apply to Elementary School events.
Academic Events (High School)
Accounting
Calculator Applications
Computer Applications (individual competition only)
Computer Science
Current Issues and Events
Literary Criticism
Mathematics
Number Sense
Ready Writing (individual competition only)
Science
Social Studies
Spelling and Vocabulary
Speech (an award is given to the top overall school in speech events; the award does not qualify students for advancement)
Cross-Examination Team Debate (team competition only)
Lincoln-Douglas Debate (individual competition only)
Congressional Debate (individual competition only)
Extemporaneous Informative Speaking (individual competition only)
Extemporaneous Persuasive Speaking (individual competition only)
Poetry Interpretation (individual competition only)
Prose Interpretation (individual competition only)
Journalism (an award is given to the top overall school in journalism events; the award does not qualify students for advancement)
Editorial Writing (individual competition only)
Feature Writing (individual competition only)
Headline Writing (individual competition only)
News Writing (individual competition only)
One-Act Play (team competition plus individual awards that do not lead to advancement)
Entry Limitations
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) allows member schools to enter a specific number of students or teams in each competition. The exact number of participants varies depending on the event, with most events allowing between three and six students per school. In the Cross-Examination Team Debate, schools can enter up to three two-member teams but may be allowed to enter a fourth team if their UIL district has less than eight teams competing. Schools can have up to 15 cast members and 5 crew members for One-Act Plays. Each school is allowed to enter one play for the competition, except in UIL districts with three or fewer plays entered, where schools may be permitted to enter a second play.
Competition Format
High school University Interscholastic League (UIL) academic events are typically held in the spring and take place within the same conference as athletics and marching band competitions. Students in grades 9-12 compete against each other in events without division by grade level. Advancement through the levels of competition varies depending on the event, with most events advancing from district to region to state, while Cross-Examination Team Debate and One-Act Play advance directly from district to state.
The top three individuals and first-place team members advance to the next level of competition, except in events with team components where a "wild card" system is used to advance the highest-scoring second-place team from each region to the state meet. In Science competitions, top scorers in the subjects of biology, chemistry, and physics also advance to the next level of competition.
In Cross-Examination Team Debate, the top two teams in each district advance directly to state, while in One-Act Play, two unranked plays from each level of competition are selected to advance to the next level. Points are awarded to determine the overall best school in a conference, with bonus points and caps in certain events.
Athletic Events
Baseball (co-ed)
Basketball (boys' and girls')
Cross Country (boys' and girls', team and individual)
Football (co-ed)
Six-Man Football (co-ed; only available for Conference A schools with enrollments below a defined level)
Golf (boys' and girls', team and individual)
Soccer (boys' and girls'; Conferences AAAA and AAAAA only)
Softball (girls' only)
Swimming and Diving (boys' and girls', team and individual; Conferences AAAA and AAAAA only)
Team Tennis (boys' and girls' combined; Conferences AAAA and AAAAA only)
Tennis (boys' and girls' singles and doubles, plus mixed doubles)
Track and Field (boys' and girls', team and individual)
Volleyball (girls' only)
Wrestling (boys' and girls', individual only; Conferences AAAA and AAAAA only)
In some schools, there may be only boys' basketball or soccer teams and no corresponding teams for girls. In these cases, girls are allowed to participate in the boys' teams. Girls are also allowed to participate in baseball but cannot play both baseball and softball in the same season. Conference A schools that can play six-man football have the option to play traditional 11-man football instead, but they must choose only one sport for both years of the district alignment period.
Sports are usually divided into two semesters, with cross country, football, six-man football, team tennis, and volleyball competing during the fall semester. Basketball overlaps both the fall and spring semesters. Baseball, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and wrestling compete during the spring semester.
Competition Format
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) offers athletic competition for students in grades 7-12.
For junior high students (grades 7-8), athletic competitions are only held at the district level. Sixth-grade students can only compete if they are too old to compete in the following year or if there are too few seventh and eighth-grade students to form a team. Sixth-graders cannot compete in individual sports except for a few exceptions due to disability.
High school sports have three levels: freshman, junior varsity, and varsity. Only varsity teams are eligible to advance to playoffs beyond the district level. Varsity athletes are subject to age restrictions and other rules like parent residence, amateur status, non-recruitment, and steroid testing.
In football, six-man football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, and softball, teams compete for the state championship through a playoff system. Each district is entitled to 2-4 playoff representatives depending on the sport and conference. In cross country, golf, swimming and diving, team tennis, tennis, track and field, and wrestling, students and teams compete in meets and tournaments advancing from district to region to state.
Music Events
Marching band (List of Texas UIL State Marching Band Competition Winners)
Solo and Small Ensemble Performances (for band, orchestra, choir, and twirling)
Medium Ensemble Performance (for band, orchestra, choir, and mariachi)
Concert Performance (for band, orchestra, and choir)
Sightreading (for band, orchestra, and choir)
Music Theory
Entry Limitations
For the University Interscholastic League, high school and junior high school groups can participate in Marching Band, Concert Performance, and Sightreading, but only high schools can participate in the Solo and Ensemble competitions, except in some cases where seventh and eighth graders may compete in ensembles. Only students in grades 9–12 can participate in the Music Theory competition.
In Sightreading, if a school has a contestant in the regional competition, it is mandatory for all contestants representing the school at the region to participate, but the school can have two groups and choose to designate one group as "non-varsity," which means they will sight read a different piece.
Competition Format
Music competitions for the University Interscholastic League are organized by regions instead of districts. Unlike academic and athletic contests, music competitions don't rank schools against each other, but instead, award ratings based on performance levels. This means that all schools, regardless of size or conference, can compete in the same events. However, for marching band, schools are grouped by the conference for advancement purposes, and sightreading competitions also use conferences so that all schools in a conference read the same piece.
Music contests are held in the spring, except for marching band, which is in the fall. The Music Theory competition is only held at the state level, and students don't need to advance from the region to participate.
There are five rating levels in UIL music events: Superior (Division I), Excellent (Division II), Average (Division III), Below Average (Division IV), and Poor (Division V). Superior is the highest rating, indicating an exceptional performance, while Poor is the lowest, indicating much room for improvement.
Additional Information about UIL
Other states and countries may have their own organizations that offer similar interscholastic competitions, but the types of competitions and the rules and regulations may differ from those offered by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in Texas.
In the United States, other states have their own interscholastic organizations that offer academic, athletic, music, and speech and debate competitions, such as the:
California Interscholastic Federation (CIF): https://www.cifstate.org/landing/indexNew York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA): https://nysphsaa.org/
National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA): https://www.speechanddebate.org/
Internationally, countries may have their own organizations that offer interscholastic competitions, such as the:
International Schools Sports Tournament (ISST): https://isstsports.org/
International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO): https://www.imo-official.org/
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