University Students Compete for $45,000 in Prize Money
NEW YORK, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) this week hosted its 5th Annual Real Estate Debt Case Competition, bringing together top undergraduate and graduate students from 11 leading U.S. universities for an intensive, real-world commercial real estate finance challenge.
Now in its fifth year, the competition has become a cornerstone of CREFC’s efforts to connect emerging talent with the industry, giving students a hands-on opportunity to analyze, structure, and present a complex commercial real estate lending decision under real-world conditions.
Teams competed for $45,000 in total prize money, presenting their recommendations to a panel of senior industry professionals.
Top honors were awarded to:
- 1st Place – Yale University
- 2nd Place – Florida State University
- 3rd Place – The Pennsylvania State University
“The debt case competition reflects the strength and aptitude of the next generation entering the CRE finance industry,” said Lisa Pendergast, President and CEO of CREFC. “The caliber of teams this year was exceptional. Students brought thoughtful, well-structured analyses and a level of professionalism that mirrors what we see in the industry today. It’s exciting to see this kind of talent emerging, and this program plays a critical role in connecting them to the CRE finance community.”
Competitors presented their analyses of a commercial real estate lending decision using a case study based on a real-world transaction. The teams had one week to prepare the analysis and presentation materials, which were judged by a panel of senior commercial real estate finance executives using evaluation criteria including the team’s analysis, conclusion, and presentation skills.
The case study was developed in collaboration with Ares Management LLC, providing students with a realistic and timely industry scenario.
The 11 U.S. universities with top-rated real estate programs invited to take part in this year’s competition included:
- Cornell University
- Florida State University
- Fordham University
- NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate
- The Pennsylvania State University
- UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- University of Florida
- University of Miami
- UT Austin McCombs School of Business
- Villanova
- Yale University
Through initiatives like the Real Estate Debt Case Competition, CREFC continues to expand its educational programming and strengthen connections between academia and the commercial real estate finance industry.
About CRE Finance Council
The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) is the trade association for the over $6 trillion commercial real estate finance industry with a membership that includes more than 400 companies and 19,000 individuals. Member firms include balance-sheet and securitized lenders, loan and bond investors, private equity and debt firms, servicers, rating agencies, and borrowers.
For over 30 years, CREFC has promoted liquidity, transparency, and efficiency in the commercial real estate finance markets, and acted as a legislative and regulatory advocate for the industry, playing a vital role in setting market standards and best practices, and providing education for market participants.
For more information, please visit our website.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/crefc-hosts-5th-annual-real-estate-debt-case-competition-yale-university-takes-top-honors-302746092.html
SOURCE CRE Finance Council
