501 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students in 2022

Obviously, there are several different persuasive and controversial speech topics that aren’t overdone. Anything from making localized claims to larger societal claims such as adding more enforcements against trafficking women and children. You can use anything persuasive speech topic for a college student really to wow your audience if you know how to deliver it.

Ever had a debate about which essay writing topics are the most effective when writing a paper? What makes the best persuasive essay topics that you can use to deliver the perfect speech? To understand the types of persuasive speeches that you can use as a collage student, it’s vital that you first understand what they really are.

In this excerpt, we’ll learn more about factual, policy, and value persuasive speeches for college students. Keep reading to find out more:

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

Often, it’s up to the student or the person giving the speech to craft a controversial speech topic that the audience can really relate to. However, choosing the best persuasive speech topics for your audiences isn’t always easy. The infinite topics to choose from can sometimes be confusing.

In any case, it’s always best to work with a topic that you are particularly close to and have a genuine interest in. Sure, you can work something out with a random topic, but it’s hardly ever as good as when talking about a topic that you genuinely enjoy addressing.

To aid you in choosing the right topic persuasive speech topics for your audience, we’ve compiled a list of the top 500 controversial speech topics for college students that you can use.

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Pets and Fauna 

• Do pets really pose a danger to our community?
• Is it more humane to buy a pet from an animal nursery instead of purchasing them at pet stores?
• Should we try to tame some kinds of animals to use as household pets?
• Is it just for a pet owner to get rid of a domestic pet that inflicts harm on another individual?
• Factory farming is too cruel to be legal
• Is battery farming ethical?
• Is breeding pets for sale justice to the pets?
• Adopting a kitten is better than buying one. Don’t you think?
• What qualities make a dog the perfect pet?
• Having a pet makes our lives better
• Benefits of petting a snake
• Having a pet makes our lives better. Let me elaborate
• Having a pet can affect your child’s life
• Is it better to neuter all your pets?
• The benefits of having a cat as a pet
• Why is it vital that we safeguard our dolphin populations?
• The advantages of having a horse
• Why you should never adopt forest animals
• Wild/forest animals that would make amazing pets
• Why do some animals face extinction? What can we do about it?
• Always watch your children as they play with your pets

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Cars and Transportation

• How old should you be to qualify as a driver?
• Why do people risk texting while driving?
• What is it about texting while driving that makes it unsafe?
• How safe are booster seats for children?
• How justified is it to charge citizens money to pass driving tests?
• Police chase cars always catch their guy. Debatable.
• What age should you really be to be allowed to drive?
• The government should optimize traffic to make it safe for bicycle drivers
• What courses must you take to qualify as a complete driver?
• Calling hands-free while driving is much safer compared to texting

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Business & Entrepreneurship

• Advertising can mess up your minds. Here’s how
• Every business should learn and understand its target group
• The success of every business relies on its advertising and marketing strategies
• Can advertising be regulated and made more ethical?
• What constitutes a good advertisement?
• Businesses have been known to infringe on customers’ privacy. It is a fact

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students Constitution and Government

• Is burning your country’s flag a valid form of protest?
• School students have a right to refuse prayers.
• Should schools outlaw silent prayers?
• Is it justified to detain suspects without any proper documentation or procedures?
• What qualifies an individual as a terrorist?
• Should the government intervene in alcohol and narcotic substances turnover?
• Our constitution was built on unfair and unjust laws
• What makes a complete government?

Economic Issues Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• A trade deficit can dramatically affect the economy.
• Is it justified to tax imported goods extra?
• What makes it necessary to raise the income of industrial workers?
• Can free trade agreements affect our national employees?
• It is important that we also promote our locally manufactured foods
• Why is it important to purchase locally grown goods?
• Why should the country import a product when it can be locally produced?

Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on School & Education

• Should there be restrictions for joining school sports teams?
• Is it justified to provide financially challenged students with free higher education?
• It is necessary to test and certify all school workers regularly
• Should all school personnel be re-certified for their pedagogical skills?
• All public schools should enforce art classes
• Should high schools have some degree of control over college admission exams?
• Should gym grades affect a student’s GPA?
• What advantages are there of allowing students to use phones in school territory?
• Boys and girls share classrooms. What makes this type of learning more strategic?
• Should community service be made a mandatory part of our high school curriculum?
• Is it justified to have a school closed if its students underperform on test scores?
• Should schools replace all textbooks with tablets and laptops?
• Should schools make computer science a compulsory discipline?
• It is important to promote education in all countries. Here’s why
• How effective is it to force underperforming students to repeat classes?
• What if all state schools were run only for taxpayers’ money?
• Schools should complement the current curriculum with life skill classes
• Shouldn’t colleges and universities be concerned about their graduates’ employment?
• What other life skills should school incorporate into their curriculum?
• Should commercial advertisements be allowed in schools?
• Why do some schools perform better than others?
• Can students perform better if schools used stricter measures?
• Should a student ask for permission to go to the restroom?
• How much homework is considered too much for a college student?
• How effective can a handwriting class be when added to the curriculum?
• Is it really necessary for students to learn foreign languages in the United States?
• How many class hours is considered optimal for a college student?
• How can schools justify students who listen to music in class?
• What forms of punishment should schools enforce on their students?
• Why is music education essential in public schools?
• How many foreign languages should students learn in each course?
• Should there be a certain age that qualifies one as a teacher?
• What type of punishment is considered going beyond the limit?
• Some school field trips should be restricted in this country
• Schools should promote student talents and allow students to nurture them
• What constitutes a good school?
• What qualities qualify you as a good student?
• Why do SAT scores exist if they don’t influence our chances of enrolling on college/
• The benefits of joining a private school?
• Is the PARCC test really adequate or necessary?
• What are the cons of joining a primary school as opposed to joining a public school?
• Does standardized testing contribute to equal opportunities?
• What is the importance of studying Spanish in school?
• Should schools encourage more students to study Chinese as opposed to other foreign languages?
• Does learning a foreign language more advantageous to a student?
• Why should everyone try to get to university?
• Homework is very necessary for all students
• Is the current curriculum overloaded?
• From which grade should the school introduce the study hall?
• Higher education should be made available to everyone. Here’s why
• Children should all be prepared for school.
• Proper school preparation can help students get properly integrated into school life

• Should schools introduce anime classes?
• Why do most students receive insufficient financial assistance?
• The current school year doesn’t have enough time to fit the current curriculum
• Is education in prisons really working?
• Is education overpriced?
• Should schools provide more scholarships for students?
• Minority groups should also receive equal rights to study
• Can students benefit from accelerated learning?
• Is the current school buffet menu sufficient?
• Should schools provide their teachers and other employees housing?
• The Oxford comma should be made optional
• What are the real benefits of education?
• Training programs for adults are accurate
• How many languages should a student learn?
• Steps to take to confront and prevent violence in schools
• Should private education institutions offer their own scholarships?
• Is the current security in our schools sufficient?
• Education in prisons is very efficient.

 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students Nature Protection

• What are the benefits of enforcing recycling?
• Hydraulic fracturing is very dangerous. Here’s why
• Disposable diapers have become a real threat to nature
• World leaders must come together to curb pollution
• Oil spills are very hazardous to marine life. Here’s why
• Everyone is personally responsible for protecting the environment
• What are the negative side effects of pollution that we suffer today?
• There are several positive effects of implementing the use of hybrid cars
• Making oil from algae will improve our environment
• Are the existing regulations really protecting the environment as expected?
• We are not using the natural resources we have today wisely
• Single-use bags have significantly contributed to landfills
• How harmful is palm oil?
• Nature can benefit a great deal from a significant reduction in the use of paper
• Why is it crucial that we protect rare species?
• Are the current fishing restrictions sufficient?
• The restrictions we have in place to protect marine life aren’t sufficient
• What are the long-run negative effects of drilling oil?
• Oil spills are hazardous to marine life. What can we do about it?
• The quest to protect nature starts with each of us
• World leaders should look into alternative energy sources more decisively
• The reckless use of natural resources is what got us here
• We should conserve the natural resources we have left, or we will have nothing left

Ethical Issues Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Eating meat is not unethical
• Women plumbers deserve the same payment plans as male plumbers
• Is it ethical to influence the sexes of our unborn children?
• Why should we stop buying/wearing fur clothes?
• Does donating to the poor really help with the current poverty situation?
• What alternatives should we consider to the death penalty?
• The discrimination of sexes in the workplace is an issue that remains to be solved
• How is it that we are still arguing the issue of unequal pay in the workplace?
• As a country, we are still far from addressing the issue of gender inequality
• Are stereotypes about some groups of people justified?
• Should the country legalize euthanasia when there aren’t any other options to consider?

Raising Children Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Family violence is never a good idea, especially around children
• How effective is daycare?
• Does daycare really help children to become social?
• Are parents entitled to give their underage children alcohol?
• Do fairy tales really help to raise good children?
• All children must learn to listen to their children
• The potential harm of exposing children to R-rated video games
• How much time is too much time to let your kids stay in front of the television?
• What really constitutes good parenting?
• There should be some form of parental guidance for what music television and video clips that children watch
• Does it really help to restrict teenage kids from playing violent video games?
• How in control are you when it comes to disciplining your kids?
• Schools should help raise awareness about family violence
• What steps should parents take to encourage good behaviour in their children?
• Should children be kept away from online chat rooms?
• How involved should you be in your child’s upbringing?
• We do more harm by lying to our children. Here’s why

Style Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Women shouldn’t monopolize the pink colour
• What is considered the most appropriate work attire?
• How far is too far when it comes to wearing too revealing clothes?
• How you dress says a lot about you
• Which styles make the best persuasive speech topics?
• At what point would you say a dress code is inappropriate?

Diet Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• How we underestimate peanuts
• Should all schools include home science classes in their curriculum?
• Should every child learn how to cook?
• Is labelling products as genetically modified really helpful?
• Banning the advertisement of alcohol on tv will not help much. Here’s why
• Is adding sugar to your meals necessary?
• Are the farmers’ markets that we currently have enough?
• What are the benefits of drinking orange juice regularly?
• Everyone has a right to a good meal
• Should schools add cooking classes into their curriculum?
• Is throwing unsold food in the garbage always the best move?
• Better things we can do with unsold foods
• Genetically modified foods are the future of humanity
• How many vegetables and fruits would you say is enough for a healthy meal?
• You are what you eat
• Can switching our diets to organic food products exclusively rid us of diseases?
• How safe are the artificial chemicals that companies add to our food products?

State Control and Responsibility Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• How inflated is our military budget?
• Where do local governing end and federal governing start?
• The imperfections of our legislative system
• Should the state provide financial aid to every citizen who needs it?
• Can the state influence what we eat and drink?
• How powerful can a state get?
• The president’s portrait on the new bills
• Should schools run by religious institutions receive taxpayers’ money?
• Is it the state’s responsibility to care for the homeless?
• Shouldn’t there be a state-run website where companies can write about their job openings?
• Shouldn’t the state control the internet more strictly?
• The zoning legislation is ridiculous to its core. Here’s why
• Why is it that drug restriction regulations keep failing?
• What valid reasons are there for practising eminent domain today?
• Our local authorities have been known to neglect pothole problems
• Why are our railroads so ineffective?

Medicine Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Easier ways to avoid health problems
• Should parents always be made aware if their underage daughters make abortions?
• At what age is it safe for someone to use contraceptive medical treatment?
• How harmful can fast food really be to your health?
• Reasons why medical education would be ineffective without animal testing
• Can diabetes affect your overall performance at work?
• How effective are safety belts in preventing lethal casualties during accidents?
• Restaurants that serve potentially allergenic meals must inform their customers before serving meals
• How effective is free condom distribution in schools toward improving the issue of sex-related problems?
• Our healthcare system is heavily flawed
• Is sex education at schools really helping?
• Do we eat excess meat?
• How companies can improve junk to not be junk
• The importance of picking the right toothpaste
• How much soda can you drink without damaging your system?
• At what point can you say one is suffering from work burnout?
• School kids should be educated on rape prevention measures
• Is healthy fast food really possible?
• What are the consequences of skipping meals?
• We seriously underestimate the importance of good sleep
• Stop your children from consuming too much sugar
• The hidden threat of vaporizers
• Smoking deteriorates our breathing system in ways we cannot fathom
• Sleepwalking can be fatal
• Can donating organs be harmful to your health?
• The effective methods to manage stress factors
• What are the dangers of homoeopathic treatment?
• Who said electronic cigarettes were less harmful than tobacco?
• The negative effects of steroids
• What are the dangers of the anti-vaccination ideology?
• The benefits of electroconvulsive treatment
• How to perform a CPR
• How society should confront mass obesity
• We don’t know enough about the side effects of popular drugs
• The misused potential of gluten
• Healthy food products are too expensive
• There are no easy tips for staying fit
• You can endanger others by smoking
• The importance of drinking enough water
• What is the Red Cross day for?
• We are right to fear using diet pills
• Donating blood benefits both society and yourself
• You can maintain a healthy diet
• The AA deeds should be more appreciated and advertised
• Having good friends can literarily save your life
• Bike helmets save lives. Don’t neglect them
• Laughing can improve your health. Here’s how
• How can you develop healthy life habits?
• Medical studies are severely underfunded
• Simple steps to keep your teeth strong
• The mythical and real dangers of smoking
• Shouldn’t prescription drugs be more accessible?
• Are tannings beds causing more harm to our health?
• High heels are actually bad for your health
• Do doctors really get enough wages?
• Health benefits of dark chocolate
• shouldn’t medical care be more accessible?
• Medical pregnancy should be prevented
• Binge drinking is still the menace it used to be
• When should mothers stop breastfeeding their children?
• How much do we know about food additives?
• The state should impose harsher punishment for drunk driving
• Driving without safety belts shouldn’t go unpunished
• Positive thinking is good for everyone
• Chewing tobacco is much safer than smoking it
• Stomach stapling is overused
• How do prevent infectious diseases more effectively?
• Contraceptive treatments save lives
• Medical care should be more accessible
• Promote your life with minimal medical interference
• Benefits of donating organs
• How much do you know about fire safety precautions?
• What causes teenage suicide?

History Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Why don’t some people believe Neil Armstrong landed on the moon?
• No nation should attempt to revive their history
• It never ends well for people who want to rewrite history
• What makes Abraham Lincoln the role model all presidents should emulate?
• How much do we know about African-American history?
• Not everything you hear about the World Wars is true
• Which points in history make the best persuasive speech topics?

Cross-Cultural and International Issues Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• How independent can a country really be?
• Is the United Nations as effective as it’s supposed to be?
• Who is in charge of enforcing human rights in the world?
• The United States shouldn’t have invaded Iraq
• Nuclear disarmament is moving too slowly
• Shouldn’t every nation seek independence in terms of energy sources?
• Catalunya should be independent of Spain
• The actual dictatorships that the USA support
• The nation should involve itself less in international processes

Legal Issues Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Would introducing additional taxes for unhealthy food products curb their production?
• Can you use fast food if you become obese?
• Forbidding the use of explicit language on daytime television helps the cause
• It is legal to possess a deadly firearm in the United States
• What is the legal age for driving in the nation?
• Should the elderly be allowed to drive?
• The country should outlaw driving motorbikes without helmets
• An illegal immigrant should not be allowed to drive in the country
• Should the nation outlaw the use of unauthorized music or films?
• The country could do well to outlaw the use of mobile phones while driving
• How exactly should drinking drivers be punished?
• The country could do with outlawing public smoking
• Should gambling remain legal?
• The legal benefits of gambling and online casinos
• At what age do you become eligible for social security?
• Will legalizing medicinal marijuana be in the country’s interest?
• Should recycling become mandatory?
• Bullying should be considered a full-scale crime
• Being too loud isn’t entirely a crime
• The current voting age should be lowered. My thoughts
• Being in a moving car without fastening your seatbelt should be punished more severely
• Same-sex couples also deserve the same marital rights as traditional ones
• Should abortion be illegal and punishable?
• English remains the only universally official language used in the USA
• Is legalizing abortion a mistake?
• Everyone should be allowed to hunt
• It is completely outlawed to employ an underage
• Having the death penalty is an acceptable practicable punishment today
• Laws against drunk driving aren’t really helping
• Smoking in public violates the rights of citizens around you
• The current immigration legislation isn’t wise or fair

Television Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Comic books have proved to be extremely useful
• The cable tv market is so monopolized
• Violence, nudity, and coarse language should be regulated more strictly on tv
• Public broadcasters are significantly underfinanced
• Should television be more education-oriented?
• Just how educational are educational television shows?
• There should be stricter age restrictions for TV
• Children would treat TV usage more critically if they studied photography in schools
• Does too much TV degrade younger generations?

Music Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• Music in MP3 formats is always free for promo material
• Better music with better sound quality should always be for sale
• Music contributes to both society and the individual
• Music is the most effective way to make teenagers listen up
• Lyrics in songs should not be censored
• Guitar music is always better than synthetic
• All music is good music if it reaches the right audience
• Not every music is always appropriate for children
• Music should also adhere to age restrictions in the industry

Controversial Political Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• The importance of every vote
• Every vote counts
• Why do you think Bernie Sanders lost the primaries?
• Politicians are not above the law
• Politicians should also be fined when they use abusive rhetoric
• No one is above the law
• It is dangerous to allow political parties to accept donations from large corporations
• Never trust a politician. Most only always look for ways to line their pockets with public funds

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Life Skills

• Being clean significantly improves your personal health and professional wellbeing
• Few simple rules for hiking
• The dangers of camping in the forest
• Survival basics you must know
• Life skills that will improve your survival chances in the wild
• Which life skill stories can make for the best persuasive speech topics?

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for Social Studies College Students

• Can you trust a shrink?
• Your happiness depends significantly on your financial state of affairs as well
• Not every shrink you visit has the answers to your questions
• To what extent can your environment influence who you are?
• What persuasive speech topics pass for a psychology study?
• What purpose does love play in our lives?

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Personal Issues

• Can you know your partner completely before you marry them?
• What constitutes a good spouse?
• Are love words gender-biased?
• How to know your partner for real before you marry them
• How long can you maintain a long-distance relationship?
• Long-distance relationships are possible through online means
• Can consistent communication save your long-distance relationship?
• A happy family solves its issues together
• Good parenthood starts from home
• Can you trust a professional with your personal issues?
• Which personal issues make the best persuasive speech topics?

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Religion and Spiritual Issues

• Religious conflicts are always the fiercest
• How to tell if your loved one is in a cult
• How can you tell which cult is dangerous?
• Why fundamentalist movements arise
• Allow people practising religion to practice their religion
• Why does every religion claim that it’s peaceful?
• Most religions are still not ready to allow their women to be priests
• Students from religious backgrounds should be allowed to make their prayers at schools
• Religion studies should be incorporated into school curriculums
• Religious bias is real. Here’s why
• Should schools allow students to practice different religions on their premises?

Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Self-Improvement 

• Persistence will help you achieve results
• Confidence is vital to any undertaking
• Personal development is never enough
• Your looks will greatly influence your success
• How you can benefit from a stressful situation
• There is no standard time management tip for everyone
• Why you should not overthink your life
• Zeal is vital in mastering anything
• Confront your stresses and depression using art
• Self-actualization is highly overrated

Everyday Life Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

• What makes living in the city better than the countryside?
• It’s the municipal government’s responsibility to raise free Wi-Fi hotspots across the city
• How should the nation deal with people who don’t stand up for the pledge?
• Our country should join the rest of the world and use the metric system
• Should the USA make a certain period compulsory for community service for all citizens?
• Is it justified to provide the elderly with free public transportation use?
• Will appointing responsible police officers rid the nation of drunk driving?
• Is it justified to obligate the public to clear their sidewalks from the snow?
• Would restricting the number of children that one can have control the population?
• Should obese people pay for two seats at entertainment venues and public transport?
• Why do stereotypes exist?
• The current running campaigns against poverty are not effective
• Jails are overcrowded with convicts in the USA
• How justified is social dwarfism?
• Should convicts also exercise their right to vote?
• Raising awareness about feminism is crucial in everyday life
• Human life has improved significantly in the past century
• Paparazzi and stalkers continue to violate people’s privacy
• Shouldn’t the internet connection be free of charge?
• Everyone has a right to connect to the internet
• It is important to always stay open-minded all the time
• How can you bring good to your community today?
• Nothing makes a good community as one in perfect harmony
• Why you should avoid buying at Walmart
• Being polite gets you places
• It never hurts to be good to your neighbour

• Society imposes dangerous beauty standards downrightly
• All forms of bullying are destructive in any society
• Genetically modified food products are proving to be more dangerous than companies let on
• Public restrooms are becoming messier by the day
• What can be done with the messy streets?
• Should the state provide homes for free for lonely senior citizens?
• Imposed gender roles are now a thing of the past
• Can you prolong weekends by a day without compromising your work efficiency?
• The current running campaigns against poverty aren’t as effective as they should be
• People should retire at a much older age than they do now
• What do you achieve by supporting charities?
• Cyberbullying is becoming a serious threat
• The government should assist all homeless people
• How can we improve the current public system?
• Excessive wealth corrupts even the best minds
• Propaganda can become a dangerous weapon too
• The current holidays are too short. What’s the reason behind this?
• The lack of fair-priced residences is a serious issue
• How can you bring good to the community right now?
• Do working hours in pubs have to be considered?
• We cannot deal with poverty effectively unless we invest more resources in the social system
• Lawsuits are becoming a circus in our current legislative system
• The importance of our current penitentiary options
• Security alarms can significantly improve your life
• It is important that we promote local products
• How can the country tame corruption at the country level?
• How to help children with single parents
• The real reasons for equality
• We should advertise and encourage foster parenthood
• Censorship is suffocating our emerging information society
• Mass media is subjective and biased on all levels
• Relations between different ethnic groups leave much to be desired
• Why does the struggle for women’s equality advance so slowly?
• How to enforce more respect for the public’s privacy
• Some companies maintain the infamous racial profiling tradition
• Senior citizens need more care now than ever
• People abuse cosmetic surgery today due to poor regulations
• Female workers still have to work at extremely lower wages compared to their male counterparts
• Society should show more support for non-working single parents
• The police department is the last place corruption should be an issue

Sports Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students