College Students Are Competing for Free Chipotle Through Campus Rivalry Week

Chipotle just rolled out a new incentive that’s turning college towns into competing powerhouses. Chipotle U Rivalry Week is live now through November 17, and it’s pitting U.S. college towns against each other in a race for free food rewards.

Here’s the setup: Chipotle wants to see which college communities can recruit the most new Chipotle U Rewards members. The top 10 winning towns will unlock a Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) offer for all their students—essentially free Chipotle for anyone enrolled in that town’s university.

How Students Can Participate

The mechanics are straightforward. College students sign up or log into their Chipotle Rewards account, then verify their enrollment status through ID.me. Once that’s confirmed, they’re automatically counted toward their college town’s leaderboard standing. Chipotle is tracking this across all U.S. college towns, starting with a curated list of 100 schools known for their high Chipotle consumption. If your town isn’t listed, there’s an option to write it in and add it to the competition.

Throughout the week, students can watch the live leaderboard update daily to see where their school ranks in the race. This gamified approach taps into classic college rivalry energy—think of it as college football spirit, but for Chipotle signups.

The Real Prize: Free Chipotle for Your Campus

When November 17 hits at 11:59 PM PT, the scoreboard locks. The top 10 college towns with the highest number of newly enrolled Chipotle U Rewards members get rewarded with a BOGO offer distributed directly to their students’ reward wallets. The offer covers one free entrée-equivalent menu item with the purchase of a full entrée.

Beyond Rivalry Week, Chipotle U offers perks year-round: new college members earn 1,000 bonus points on signup plus 20% bonus points on every purchase. For Gen Z students watching their budgets, this means reaching free Chipotle rewards significantly faster than regular customers.

Why Chipotle Is Doing This

According to Curt Garner, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Chipotle, the initiative is designed to “harness campus spirit.” By connecting student participation directly to town-wide benefits, Chipotle transforms individual sign-ups into a collective goal—essentially creating a reason for students to rally their classmates to join the rewards program.

With over 3,900 Chipotle locations globally and a strong presence across college towns, this campaign taps into an existing customer base while encouraging deeper loyalty through the rewards ecosystem. For college students and campus communities, it’s a straightforward value proposition: more sign-ups equal more free food.