Four UNT students qualified for the 2012 National Debate Tournament, the most prestigious policy debate tournament for U.S. college and university students. The UNT Debate Team placed in the top 30 teams at the tournament, represented by Amy Schade, a sophomore biology major; Colin Quinn and Brian Kersch, junior communication studies majors; and Shelby Prior, a junior political science major. Teams from UNT have represented the university at the tournament 27 of the last 30 years.
Peter Martinez, a freshman philosophy major, and Daniel Martinek, a sophomore communication studies major, made it to the final round of the National Junior Division Debate Tournament.