2026 SOA Research Institute Student Research Case Study Challenge

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Research Institute is dedicated to advancing education and research for the actuarial profession. As part of its mission, the SOA Research Institute recognizes the importance of partnering with colleges and universities to help develop future actuaries. With this in mind, the SOA Research Institute holds an annual Student Research Case Study Challenge, which provides an opportunity for teams of students to apply their actuarial skills on a real-world problem in a business setting.

Teams of two to five students will research a case study situation, conduct an actuarial analysis, formulate solutions, and present recommendations in a report. The work will require a team approach to identify issues and organize priorities. The team will need to understand and select from potential data sources, develop models with appropriate accuracy metrics, summarize relevant results, and then present recommendations in a written format for a target audience of executives from a broad array of professional backgrounds. Teams can look forward to showcasing their creativity while building synergies within an actuarial setting. Teams are encouraged to seek guidance from a faculty advisor to assist them in their overall approach.

Submissions will be graded by a panel of SOA Research Institute judges, and the teams with the top submissions will be invited to present their submissions to the judges virtually. All teams meeting a minimum standard will be recognized in official SOA publications and team members will be awarded a certificate of participation.

Finalists

First Place: University of New South Wales, Australia, VALCS Consulting (winning a 5000 USD grant)
Second Place: University of New South Wales, Australia, Alienz Insurance (winning a 3000 USD grant)
Third Place: Renmin University of China, China, Exoplanet (winning a 2000 USD grant)
Heriot-Watt University Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Actuarial Duo
NED University of Engineering & Technology, Pakistan, The Actuators
Towson University, United States, Star Reachers

Participants and Submissions

Congratulations, students, on completing a submission to the Society of Actuaries Research Institute 2026 Student Research Case Study Challenge! Completing a Challenge entry is an impressive accomplishment, and you are to be commended!

The 2026 Challenge received 100 submissions from 65 universities across 19 countries spanning 3 regions as follows:

50 US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
24 East Asia and Pacific
26 South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Caribbean

Our panel of judges further congratulates the following 26 teams, approximately 25% of each region’s submissions, that have advanced to the second (semi-final) round of judging, in alphabetical order by university within each region:

US, Canada, Europe, Austraila and New Zealand

University	Team
Arizona State University	SpaceXpected Value
Royal Holloway, University of London	Actuaries in Space
Salisbury University	AstroGulls
Stony Brook University	Green Tea
Stony Brook University	Seawolf Solutions
The Ohio State University	Nova Analytics
Towson University	Star Reachers
Towson University	The Galactuaries
University of California, San Diego	Stellar Safeguard
University of Guelph	Gryphon's Capital
University of New South Wales	Alienz Insurance
University of New South Wales	Valcs Consulting
University of Waterloo	Actuari-nauts

East Asia and Pacific

University	Team
Brawijaya University	The Orbit
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia	Team HWUM
Monash University Malaysia	Hyperion
Renmin University of China	Exoplanet
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics	WRAF
Universitas Gadjah Mada	RiskSeekers

South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Caribbean

University	Team
Heriot-Watt University Dubai	Actuarial Duo
IAQS, University of Mumbai	Atlas
Madras School of Economics	Risk Redefined
National University of Science and Technology	Actuaries of Tomorrow
NED University of Engineering & Technology	Stochastic Minds
NED University of Engineering & Technology	The Actuators
Universidad de Buenos Aires	Penta Argentum

Key Dates for the 2026 Challenge

Release case study	January 16, 2026
Intent to participate form due	March 8, 2026
Student submissions due	March 13, 2026, 3:00 PM U.S. Central Daylight Time (CDT)
Semifinalists announced	March 27, 2026 (approximate)
Finalists announced	April 10, 2026 (approximate)
Finalist presentations	April 15–17, 2026
Winners announced	April 24, 2026 (approximate)