For the first time since 1986, Michigan State University qualified for the 2025 International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) North America Championship, marking a major milestone for the university’s computer science program.
The team—Minh Nguyen, Hoang Phuc Nguyen, and Yaroslav Parashchiy—all students in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering, earned their spot after placing sixth out of 86 teams in the ICPC East Central Regional Competition. Their performance secured them an invitation to the North American Championship, where they competed alongside students from institutions such as MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon.
The ICPC, established in the 1970s, is widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious collegiate programming competition. The North American Championship includes top teams from both the U.S. and Canada. Sponsors include leading Wall Street trading firms and the National Security Agency, which view the competition as a prime recruiting ground for elite computer science talent.
“This is a historic achievement for MSU,” said Metin Aktulga, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the team’s faculty advisor. “It’s been nearly four decades since we’ve reached this level.”
The difficulty of problems at this level is significant. Competitive programming problem ratings — numerical values used to indicate a problem’s difficulty — typically range from 800 to more than 3,500, with higher numbers indicating greater complexity. While artificial intelligence systems such as Google’s AlphaCode can solve mid-level challenges rated around 1,700, ICPC problems often exceed 2,100 — a level still beyond the reach of current AI capabilities.
“These students have been preparing for years,” Aktulga said. “They’ve trained since high school and dedicated nights, weekends, and even their summer break to prepare for this competition.”
Out of 52 teams in the North American Championship competition, MSU came in 32nd. The top 19 teams qualified to advance to the World Finals in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sep 1-5, 2025.
The team’s journey highlights not only their technical expertise but also their relentless drive. According to Aktulga, this year’s MSU team members are more motivated than ever to make it to the World Finals next year.
“What makes me hopeful is the strong competitive programming environment that we are trying to cultivate at MSU,” he said. “We have a newly established Competitive Programming Club (CPC) which is welcoming all interested students. I hope the membership in CPC and attendance at its activities will grow as the university continues supporting these students.”
“This is way more than a competition,” Aktulga added. “It’s a testament to what hard work and passion can achieve.”
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