USAD Nationals Onsite Competition 2025: Your Path to Des Moines!

Key Information

Eligibility Requirements

• Current high school student (grades 9-12) and at least 13 years old
• Registered USADic participant (registration fee required)
• Must have either:
  • USAD State Competition total objective test score OR
  • USAD Individual Competition Round III score (March 21, 2025)
• Cannot be a competing member of a USAD team that qualifies for Onsite or Online Nationals

How to Participate

• For those that have participated at the state competition level:
  • Register by March 14, 2025
  • If your state competition is after March 14, 2025, register within 72 hours of your competition.
  • Express your interest in the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition when:
    • Registering individually: Complete the Parent Permission Form sent in the registration follow-up email.
    • Registering through a coach/group: Indicate interest when the "Roster" is filled out during registration.
• For students without state scores or students who are not competing members of a USAD team:
  • Register for USADic by March 14, 2025
  • Compete in Round III on March 21, 2025
  • Express your interest in the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition when:
    • Registering individually: Complete the Parent Permission Form. This form is sent out after registering and comes in a USADic registration follow-up email.
    • Registering through a coach/group: Indicate interest when the "Roster" is filled out during registration.

Important Information

• In addition to the 7 objective tests, the competition includes essay, speech, and interview components.
• Participants invited to the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition, and who choose to accept, will need to pay an additional participation fee of $250.00 on top of the USADic registration fee. We will announce the fee amount as soon as it is finalized.
• Travel and accommodation costs are not included in the participation fee.
• Decathletes who are competing members of teams invited to represent their state at the USAD National Onsite Competition, in any division or in the Online Nationals (Large, Medium, or Small), are not allowed to disband their team and compete as individuals.
• All registered students can participate in the USADic Online Nationals if not selected for the onsite competition.
• Online Individual Nationals: For those interested in competing online, USADic has their annual National Online Competition.
• Emails will come from support@usadic.org.

Questions?

For registration questions or more information about the Online Individual Nationals, contact support@usadic.org or call 507.388.4748.

2024 -2025 USADic & USAD Nationals Onsite Competition – FAQ

What is the United States Academic Decathlon Individual Competition (USADic)?

The United States Academic Decathlon Individual Competition (USADic) is a full-scale academic competition designed for students who:

• Do not have an Academic Decathlon program at their school.
• Are from a school that has an Academic Decathlon program but they are not competing team members.
• Have been eliminated from team competition but still want the opportunity to compete at a national level.

USADic is not merely an alternative pathway for students to gain entry into the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition. Signing up for USADic does not guarantee an invitation to the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition.

USADic consists of four rounds of competition, using official Academic Decathlon curriculum and tests:

• Round I - Practice
• Round II – Comparable to a regional competition.
• Round III – Comparable to a state competition.
• Round IV: Online Nationals – The USADic national round of competition.

Participants who have already competed in a team-based Academic Decathlon competition will not compete in a USADic round comparable to one they have already completed. For example, if you have already competed at your state competition, you will not compete in USADic Round III. If you have not competed in a state round of team Academic Decathlon competition, you will need to participate in USADic Round III (if you want the chance to qualify for an invitation to the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition).

How does USADic relate to the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition?

Competing for a spot at the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition in Des Moines, IA, is an added benefit of USADic—but it is not the sole purpose of the competition. When you register for USADic, you are signing up for the USADic competition itself, which includes USADic Round IV Online Nationals. Registration is required for students who want the opportunity to qualify for the USAD Onsite Nationals Competition.

What happens if I do not qualify for Onsite Nationals?

If you do not qualify for Onsite Nationals, you will automatically compete in USADic Round IV: Online Nationals instead.

Is the USADic registration fee refundable?

The $295.00 registration fee is non-refundable. This applies regardless of whether a student:

• Does not qualify for Onsite Nationals.
• Qualifies but later decides not to participate.
• Participates in Online Nationals instead of Onsite Nationals.

Are there additional fees?

• If you qualify for Onsite Nationals, there is an additional $250 fee to participate in the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition in Des Moines, IA.
• There is no extra fee for USADic Round IV: Online Nationals, as it is included in the original USADic registration fee.

What events are included in Onsite and Online Nationals?

• USADic Round IV: Online Nationals includes the seven objective events plus the essay event (same as state-level Academic Decathlon competitions).
• USAD Onsite Nationals Competition includes all ten Academic Decathlon events.

Who will I compete against?

USADic has three divisions:

• Division 1 – Non-team affiliated competitors.
• Division 2 – Team-affiliated competitors.
• Division 3 – International competitors.

Each division is further divided into three subdivisions:

• Honor
• Scholastic
• Varsity

USADic participants only compete against others within their division and subdivision.

Online Nationals and Onsite Nationals competitors are scored separately and do not compete against each other.

How do I find more details about the USAD Nationals Onsite Competition?

The USAD Nationals Onsite Competition is run by USAD, a separate organization. They determine the schedule, structure, and awards for the USAD Onsite Nationals Competition. For more details, please visit https://usad.org/nationals-2025 or contact them directly.

The USAD Nationals Onsite Competition awards are determined by USAD. Please check their website or contact them directly for specific details.

Awards for USADic Round IV: Online Nationals

• Official USAD Nationals medals are awarded to participants in USADic Round IV: Online Nationals.
• Medals are awarded to the top three scores in each competition event per division and subdivision.
• Medals are awarded to the top three overall scores per division and subdivision.