The College Fed Challenge is an academic competition where teams from colleges and universities around the country research economic conditions and present their analysis and monetary policy recommendations at the Federal Reserve. MSU is located in the (highly competitive) 7th District of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. District winners advance to National Finals at the Board of Governors in Washington, DC. The competition is held in the Fall, but in the Spring students start preparing by building team cohesion, acquiring background knowledge, honing presentation skills, and gathering ideas for policy proposals.

Michigan State University has been very well represented by its students in this competition. Even before there was any class credit to be earned, motivated students organized the team as a sort of student club, always bringing a team to Chicago, reaching the District Finals on multiple occasions (most recently in 2023) and even winning the District Championship and advancing to the National Finals in 2020!

While the focus of the Fed Challenge is naturally on economics and finance, interested undergraduate students from all majors and colleges are welcome to join the team. If eligible, team members are also encouraged to enroll in EC 332, an experiential learning class of 2 credits in Fall and 1 credit in Spring. Interested students may contact doblasma@msu.edu and attend the orientation. Details below:

FS25 FED CHALLENGE ORIENTATION 

Tuesday, Aug 26, 4:40PM, Agriculture Hall 49

Registration for EC 332 via Late Add form, after orientation. More details will be given at the meeting.  

Note regarding enrollment in EC 332: The recommended sequence is to start enrolling in the Spring. In some cases, however, students may start in the Fall, subject to availability. Enrollment is capped at 20. If more than 20 students apply, priority will be given to those who already enrolled in the Spring and earned a grade of 3.5 or higher. To fill the remaining spots, criteria such as previous informal involvement with the team, senior status, and GPA will be taken into consideration.