FAQ
Questions, answered
Cannot find what you need? Read the rule book or call the helpline.
Who can take part?
Any current university student with a valid student ID. Teams can mix universities.
How big can a team be?
One, two or three people. You can take part alone.
Does it cost anything to register?
Phase 1 is free. Only the 30 shortlisted teams pay, and the fee is BDT 1,350 per team, not per person.
What do I need to register?
For every member: name, email, phone and WhatsApp numbers, university, student ID, T-shirt size and a photo of the student ID card. For the team: an idea title, short written answers and one idea document in PDF or DOCX.
How are teams selected?
Reviewers score each idea out of 100 on problem relevance, innovation, AI application, feasibility and potential impact. The top 30 are shortlisted.
When will I hear back?
Selection results are emailed to every team member on 19–20 November 2026. You can also check your status on this website.
When can we start building?
From 21 November, once your team is on the published shortlist. 21 – 23 November is the pre-build period, and the five-hour on-site final on 24 November is for finishing, submitting and presenting. Before 21 November, only research, planning and design are allowed.
How do I pay if we are shortlisted?
Send the team fee by bKash or Nagad Send Money to the number on the payment page, then submit the transaction ID through your status page. An organiser verifies it by hand and you receive a confirmation email.
Can I change my registration after submitting?
No. Review everything on the last step before you submit. If something is seriously wrong, contact the organisers.
Can we use AI tools and pretrained models?
Yes. Open-source libraries, public datasets, pretrained models and coding assistants are allowed. Project code may be written from 21 November (the pre-build period) until the end of the five-hour final, and you should credit what you use.
What should I bring?
Your laptop, chargers and your student ID card.
Where are the full rules?
The official rule book is a PDF linked on the Rules page and in the footer. If anything on this website and the rule book differ, ask the helpline.
Who can I call for help?
Call or WhatsApp any number in the Helpline section on the home page or the Contact page.
I lost my registration ID. What now?
It is in your confirmation email, along with a personal link to your status page. Search your inbox and spam folder for “CoU AI Hackathon”.
Still stuck? Contact the organisers.