In the 2021–22 season, teams would still need to qualify to play in the British Student Quiz Championships (BSQC). The qualification rules have been adjusted and clarified, so we invite all interested players to read them carefully. The list of qualifying events will be finalised and publicised shortly — please follow our Facebook page for up to date information.
BSQC Qualifying Rules
A team qualifies if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
They were in the top 4 at BSQC 2021;
They finish as one of the top 4 finishers who have not already qualified previously at a designated qualifier tournament (e.g., they finish 5th in an event in which the top 4 teams have already qualified);
They receive one of 4 wildcards from the BSQC committee (these are decided after the last qualifying tournament has taken place).
In order to qualify under criterion b), teams must fulfil all of the following requirements:
No more than four teams from a single institution may qualify for BSQC under criteria a) and b).
A team may not qualify for BSQC if it contains more than one player who has already played on a different team when it qualified for BSQC.
A team may not qualify for BSQC if it contains any players who have already played on a team "ranked" two or more teams higher when it qualified for BSQC.
For example: The University of Buzzington has already qualified its A and B teams for BSQC. (Buzzington A is its highest-performing team.) Buzzington C plays at a qualifying tournament, and wants to have the chance to qualify. Buzzington C may contain a maximum of one player who played on Buzzington B when it qualified, and may not contain any players who played on Buzzington A when it qualified. (Buzzington C may field multiple players who played on Buzzington A or B at tournaments when those teams did not qualify, except where this clashes with the previous rule.)
Similarly, if Buzzington D also qualified for BSQC and Buzzington C did not, a maximum of one player who played on the qualifying Buzzington B and D teams may play on Buzzington C when it attempts to qualify.
If any teams are uncertain about whether a certain team will be eligible to qualify for BSQC, they are strongly encouraged to get in touch with UKQB before the tournament. Allowances are unlikely to be made for teams which discover that they are ineligible after the tournament.
UKQB reserves the right to determine that a team is eligible to qualify even if it does not comply with one of criteria i)-iii). In such cases, teams are much more likely to receive dispensation if they get in touch with UKQB in advance.
UKQB also reserves the right to determine that a qualifying team has flouted the spirit of these requirements, even if it has technically complied with the requirements listed above. In such cases, the decision taken by the UKQB Committee will be final.
Teams affiliated with non-UK institutions may not qualify for BSQC directly, but may apply for a wildcard place. Wildcards will require an application and will be awarded partly on the basis of performances (PPG, PPB and finish places) at quizbowl tournaments throughout the 2021–22 season, as well as taking into account how new the institution is to quizbowl. Teams who have not attended a qualification event will not be awarded a place at BSQC unless in extraordinary circumstances. Roster changes between qualification tournaments and BSQC are permissible.
If a team is unable to attend, the organising committee will invite those teams who came fifth best of one or more of the qualification events, breaking any ties using difficulty-adjusted PPB.