Home · Hosting
Bring Jessup Central Asia to your campus
For a few days each year, a university in Central Asia becomes a meeting place for students, coaches, judges, academics and practitioners from across the region.
In February, its classrooms become courtrooms for the Central Asian Rounds. In August, another campus becomes a place to study, practise and form friendships at the Summer School.
Hosting is a partnership. The host university gives the event a home and provides the people who know that home best. The Jessup Central Asia Administration brings the programme, participants and experience needed to run it.
We are always interested in hearing from universities that may wish to host a future event. An informal email is enough to begin the conversation.
Two events, two hosts
February
Central Asian Rounds
Three days of pleadings, around 200 competitors, coaches, judges, volunteers and organisers.
August
Summer School
Five or six days of teaching and advocacy practice for around 100 students.
Host universities we are looking for
Hosting follows a fixed rotation between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The country is determined by the rotation; the host university is selected from eligible universities in that country. We are looking for a host university in each of the years below.
Central Asian Rounds
Summer School
Any university with a law faculty and suitable facilities may express interest. It does not need to have hosted Jessup before, and it may host even if it does not enter a team that season.
Why host Jessup Central Asia?
Hosting places a university at the centre of the Central Asian Jessup community. For a few days, international law is argued and taught on its own campus, in front of its own students.
Students can watch the competition, meet participants from neighbouring countries and volunteer behind the scenes. Faculty members welcome academics, practitioners and guests from across the region, and university leadership can demonstrate its commitment to legal education and international cooperation.
The host is recognised on this website, in the programme and in media coverage of the season. University representatives take part in the opening and closing ceremonies, and student volunteers may receive certificates for their work.
What the host provides
These are asked of every host, whichever event it takes on.
- The campus and required rooms
- Weekend and any agreed evening access
- Technical support
- A university coordinator with sufficient time and authority
- Registration support
- To the extent possible, accommodation and meals for students travelling from outside the host city*
- Badges, signs and event photography
- Formal university invitation letters where required for visas
The two events in detail
The figures below are indicative. Participant numbers continue to grow, and the final requirements are agreed separately for each season.
February · three days
Central Asian Rounds
August · five or six days
Summer School
- Around 200 competitors, coaches, judges, volunteers and organisers
- Around 100 students, instructors, mentors, volunteers and organisers
- Rooms, close to one another:
- At least five rooms for simultaneous rounds
- A separate judges’ lounge
- Registration and Administration space
- A large venue for the opening and closing ceremonies
- Rooms, close to one another:
- One large hall for lectures and shared sessions
- Rooms for group work
- Around five rooms for the final-day mini-moots
- A working room for the Administration
- Spaces for the opening and closing events
- Presentation and sound equipment
- Presentation and sound equipment
- Reliable internet and printing
- Reliable internet and printing
- Accommodation and breakfast for students from outside the host city, and coffee breaks during the event*
- Accommodation and breakfast for students from outside the host city*
People and local support
The host helps assemble English-speaking student volunteers. They welcome guests, support registration, prepare rooms, keep corridors quiet during pleadings, guide participants around campus and respond to practical issues during the event.
The Administration briefs volunteers on their competition roles.
People and local support
Academic mentors are normally former Jessup participants recruited from across the region; they do not have to come from the host university.
The host may provide students who assist with classrooms, registration, directions and practical campus matters.
* Accommodation, meals and other local costs are set out in Making attendance possible below.
What the Administration provides
The host provides the home and local delivery. The Administration provides and runs the programme.
- Competition schedule, pairings, judging materials, scoring and results for the Central Asian Rounds
- Academic programme, instructors and mini-moot for the Summer School
- Recruitment of judges, lecturers and mentors
- Communication with participating universities, teams and students
- Registration and participant coordination
- Briefing and guidance for volunteers
- Delivery of the events under the Jessup Rules
How a university becomes a host
There is no application form. A university begins by sending an informal email identifying the event and the year in which it is interested. From there we discuss rooms, capacity, access, accommodation, meals and financial support, and members of the Administration may visit the campus if that is useful.
Selection considers the fixed country rotation, facilities, capacity, the strength of the local coordinating team, accommodation and meals for visiting students, and the proportion of local event costs the university can cover. A host should be confirmed at least one year before the event.
Once a host is publicly announced, the commitment is final, because teams and universities organise their season and their travel around the announced location.
Making attendance possible
The financial side of hosting, stated plainly.
We recognise that universities have different resources, and there is no single financial package that every prospective host must offer. Hosting is nevertheless a significant financial commitment, and preference is given to universities able to cover most of the event’s local costs.
Our highest priority is support that makes attendance affordable for students travelling from outside the host city—particularly accommodation and breakfast, together with coffee breaks during the Central Asian Rounds. A university’s ability to cover other expenses, including venue operations, badges, signs, photography, meals and selected invited guests, also strengthens its proposal.
Students and their universities arrange and pay for travel to the host city. Airport and railway-station transfers are not provided, although the host may share reliable local travel information.
Support for judges and lecturers is welcome. A host does not have to accommodate every invited expert, but it may offer to cover particular judges, instructors or guests.
Whatever a university is able to offer, we are always grateful to the faculties that open their doors to the region. Hosting is a contribution to legal education in Central Asia, and it is recognised as such.
The Administration does not have a dedicated budget that can cover the full cost of hosting. Where several universities can provide suitable facilities, preference is given to the university able to cover the greater share of event expenses.
Working with sponsors
A host is not required to find sponsors, but it may work with law firms, businesses or partner organisations to spread the financial burden. The Administration is happy to approach supporters together with the university and to discuss suitable recognition.
Sponsor requests may be accommodated only where they are consistent with the Jessup Rules and the independence, fairness and educational purpose of the Competition. Sponsorship cannot influence participation, judging, results or academic decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Can our team compete if we host?
Yes. The host university’s team competes under the same rules and is judged through the same process as every other team.
Can we host without entering a team?
Yes.
Can two universities co-host?
No. Each event has one host university so responsibility and coordination remain clear.
Can the same university host more than one event?
Yes. A university may host again when the rotation returns to its country, and it may host the Central Asian Rounds and Summer School in different years. Experienced hosts are welcome to return, while interest from new universities is strongly encouraged so that more faculties and students can experience Jessup on their campus.
Do we need to cover every cost?
Not necessarily, but prospective hosts should expect to make a substantial financial contribution. Preference is given to universities able to cover most local event expenses, particularly accommodation and meals for visiting students. Sponsors may help cover costs.
Do we need previous Jessup experience?
No. Suitable facilities, a committed university team and a willingness to work closely with the Administration matter more.
Begin the conversation
Hosting Jessup Central Asia is a substantial commitment—but it is also an opportunity to bring the region’s Jessup community into your university and let your students experience it at home.
If your university could host one of the open events, we would be glad to hear what may be possible.