2008 World Rankings
This ranking is calculated by adding together the points (i.e. 3 for a win, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd and 0 for 4th) won by each team representing an institution at the World Debating championships over the previous 5 competitive Worlds for that institution.
Where an institution hosted the championships in the last 5 years, and was therefore barred from participation that year, their score will be calculated over the past 6 years.
Where teams are tied on the the same points these ties have been broken based on the total known points (i.e. all points that institution has earned since Cork 96)
| Rank | Team | Country | Assumption, Bangkok | Vancouver | UC Dublin | MMU Malayaia | Nanyang Singapore | Stellenbosch | Total |
| 1 | Sydney | Australia | 101 | 150 | 111 | 106 | 109 | 577 | |
| 2 | Oxford Union | England | 99 | 121 | 103 | 93 | 95 | 511 | |
| 3 | Cambridge | England | 77 | 94 | 101 | 95 | 88 | 455 | |
| 4 | Monash | Australia | 87 | 59 | 50 | 103 | 90 | 389 | |
| 6 | UC Dublin | Ireland | 103 | 101 | 0 | 98 | 68 | 15 | 385 |
| 7 | Yale | US | 91 | 100 | 109 | 37 | 32 | 369 | |
| 8 | UC Cork | Ireland | 64 | 64 | 99 | 59 | 60 | 346 | |
| 5 | Ateneo de Manila University | Philippines | 76 | 48 | 49 | 77 | 94 | 344 | |
| 12 | Queensland | Australia | 90 | 98 | 78 | 28 | 46 | 340 | |
| 10 | TC Dublin | Ireland | 68 | 65 | 133 | 33 | 35 | 334 | |
| 13 | Hart House U of Toronto | Canada | 56 | 82 | 76 | 52 | 47 | 313 | |
| 14 | Int. Islamic Uni Malaysia | Malaysia | 74 | 42 | 43 | 77 | 72 | 308 | |
| 9 | Melbourne | Australia | 83 | 18 | 53 | 75 | 65 | 294 | |
| 11 | New South Wales Uni of (UNSW) | Australia | 45 | 49 | 44 | 51 | 95 | 284 | |
| 30 | Hong Kong Uni | Hong Kong | 65 | 70 | 25 | 59 | 56 | 275 | |
| 34 | MARA, Uni Teknologi | Malaysia | 60 | 38 | 16 | 93 | 60 | 267 | |
| 18 | Nanyang NTU | Singapore | 77 | 27 | 31 | 89 | 0 | 42 | 266 |
| 35 | Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 34 | 54 | 53 | 68 | 56 | 265 | |
| 22 | Victoria Wellington | New Zealand | 87 | 0 | 18 | 63 | 74 | 242 | |
| 16 | La Verne | US | 51 | 49 | 59 | 41 | 38 | 238 | |
| 45 | British Columbia, University of | Canada | 29 | 0 | 45 | 49 | 74 | 41 | 238 |
| 24 | Alberta | Canada | 62 | 64 | 38 | 18 | 55 | 237 | |
| 15 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore | 66 | 46 | 28 | 29 | 61 | 230 | |
| 25 | Queens | Canada | 49 | 49 | 62 | 31 | 34 | 225 | |
| 17 | Australian National University | Australia | 45 | 44 | 25 | 26 | 85 | 225 | |
| 39 | Harvard | US | 49 | 73 | 60 | 0 | 42 | 224 | |
| 36 | International Christian University | Japan | 32 | 33 | 38 | 60 | 60 | 223 | |
| 19 | Bates College | US | 26 | 63 | 76 | 30 | 28 | 223 | |
| 64 | Singapore Management University | Singapore | 44 | 37 | 14 | 71 | 53 | 219 | |
| 47 | Multimedia University Malaysia (Voices) | Malaysia | 51 | 27 | 24 | 0 | 70 | 41 | 213 |
| 21 | Princeton | US | 51 | 44 | 39 | 30 | 47 | 211 | |
| 26 | McGill | Canada | 52 | 50 | 52 | 16 | 38 | 208 | |
| 51 | Universitas Indonesia | Indonesia | 63 | 0 | 35 | 40 | 67 | 205 | |
| 66 | Keio | Japan | 45 | 38 | 44 | 48 | 26 | 201 | |
| 27 | Macquarie | Australia | 35 | 38 | 62 | 16 | 49 | 200 | |
| 33 | Durham | England | 14 | 53 | 60 | 30 | 34 | 191 | |
| 63 | Colgate | US | 45 | 55 | 52 | 33 | 0 | 185 | |
| 37 | Sydney, Uni of Tech | Australia | 38 | 26 | 58 | 46 | 17 | 185 | |
| 77 | Ewha Womans University (EDiS) | South Korea | 37 | 14 | 47 | 61 | 24 | 183 | |
| 32 | Stanford | US | 32 | 52 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 182 | |
| 46 | Dilman, Uni Philippines | Philippines | 46 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 65 | 176 | |
| 62 | Galway L&D | Ireland | 32 | 29 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 176 | |
| 43 | St Andrews | Scotland | 48 | 50 | 59 | 14 | 0 | 171 | |
| 67 | Alaska | US | 43 | 48 | 53 | 0 | 27 | 171 | |
| 83 | Hong Kong Polytechnic | Hong Kong | 30 | 0 | 51 | 39 | 39 | 159 | |
| 20 | Glasgow Union | Scotland | 15 | 31 | 63 | 29 | 13 | 151 | |
| 59 | Swarthmore | US | 31 | 39 | 44 | 0 | 33 | 147 | |
| 53 | Chulalongkorn | Thailand | 46 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 45 | 146 | |
| 29 | Hebrew | Israel | 44 | 27 | 35 | 0 | 38 | 144 | |
| 79 | Mahidol | Thailand | 49 | 26 | 0 | 42 | 24 | 141 | |
| 41 | Middle Temple | England | 34 | 33 | 32 | 17 | 22 | 138 | |
| 76 | National Law School of India (NLSIU) | India | 70 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 134 | |
| 23 | Rhodes | South Africa | 59 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 39 | 131 | |
| 40 | Zagreb | Croatia | 36 | 35 | 14 | 21 | 25 | 131 | |
| 57 | Brandeis | US | 46 | 15 | 24 | 18 | 26 | 129 | |
| 44 | Uni of London Union | England | 16 | 0 | 86 | 27 | 0 | 129 | |
| 60 | Auckland | New Zealand | 63 | 0 | 11 | 34 | 20 | 128 | |
| 72 | Bristol | England | 16 | 12 | 18 | 33 | 49 | 128 | |
| 28 | Fordham | US | 0 | 46 | 40 | 0 | 41 | 127 | |