Conference Directory · Chicago & the Midwest
The Midwest circuit centers on MUNUC, the University of Chicago’s February flagship, which seats close to 3,000 delegates and takes an unusually education-first approach for a conference its size. Around it, Michigan runs the deepest bench in the region: Michigan State, the University of Michigan, and the fifty-year-old GLIMUN in Kalamazoo.
The region also does affordability well. The Cleveland Council on World Affairs runs five conferences a year at 40 to 50 dollars per delegate, with separate middle school events, and GLIMUN was built from the start for novice and experienced delegates side by side.
11 conferences listed · Last verified July 2026
University of Chicago · Chicago, IL
The Midwest’s flagship: a four-day, education-first conference with large traditional committees plus crisis and hybrid options, staffed by UChicago undergraduates. Also runs CHPMUNC, a free outreach conference for South Side Chicago schools.
MUNDO (independent nonprofit) · Chicago, IL
A four-day simulation with fully integrated committees, where actions in one body ripple into others, built around realistic diplomacy rather than standalone rooms.
Northwestern University · Evanston, IL
A four-day spring conference with GA, specialized, and historical crisis committees, staffed by more than 100 Northwestern students.
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI
A three-day education-focused conference at MSU’s Kellogg Center and Union with a reputation for welcoming newer delegations.
University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI
A four-day conference on the Michigan campus, founded in 1987 and staffed by more than 100 university students.
Great Lakes Invitational Conference Association · Kalamazoo, MI
A four-day single-session UN simulation run by a nonprofit founded in 1973, with GA committees of around 70 delegates and a structure built for novice and experienced delegates alike.
Washington University in St. Louis · St. Louis, MO
A weekend conference known for small, crisis-heavy committees, and a strong fall option for delegates who prefer fast rooms over large GAs.
Ohio State University (Collegiate Council on World Affairs) · Columbus, OH
A weekend conference at Ohio State with GA, specialized, and crisis committee simulations.
Indiana University (Indiana Model United Nations) · Bloomington, IN
A weekend conference billed as the largest high school Model UN in Indiana, with GA, specialized, and crisis committees.
Cleveland Council on World Affairs · Cleveland, OH
Five affordable two-day conferences per year, three for high school and two for middle school, hosted at Cleveland-area universities at roughly 40 to 50 dollars per delegate.
American Model United Nations International · Chicago, IL
A four-day professional-style UN simulation for college students, run since 1989. Listed for context: it is not a high school conference.
More than most conferences its size. MUNUC is explicitly education-first, its background guides are among the most thorough on the circuit, and chairs are trained to draw quieter delegates into debate. A brand-new delegate will still find a 100-plus-person GA demanding, so many Midwest programs warm up at GLIMUN or a CCWA conference first and treat MUNUC as the February centerpiece.
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs conferences, at roughly 40 to 50 dollars per delegate across five events a year, are among the most affordable organized conferences in the country. MUNUC also runs CHPMUNC, a free conference for Chicago South Side schools.
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs runs two dedicated middle school conferences each year at Cleveland-area campuses. Elsewhere in the region middle schoolers mostly compete through school-hosted invitationals, so CCWA is the reliable organized option.
Start with the two-week first-conference prep plan, print the first-conference checklist, and draft your paper with the position paper template. The guide to how awards actually work explains what chairs score once you get there.