The 2026 National Collegiate Jazz Championship brings together ensembles from ten of the nation’s most renowned university jazz programs for an electrifying weekend of competition and collaboration. Celebrate the next generation of jazz artists through big band and combo performances, plus unforgettable mentorship moments with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

2026 PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:
Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY)
Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, TX)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)