1988 National Collegiate Rugby Championship

The 1988 National Collegiate Rugby Championship was the ninth edition of the official national championship for intercollegiate rugby. The tournament took place concurrently with the Monterey National Invitational Rugby Tournament on Collins Polo Field at Pebble Beach, California. The Cal Bears won their seventh title with a victory over Dartmouth. Chris Tahta of Dartmouth was named best forward while Chris Williams of Cal was best back.

Participants
Dartmouth Qualified for the National Championship by advancing from the Eastern College Championship on April 16–17 at Rexford, NY. Bowling Green Qualified for the National Championship by winning the Midwest Universities Cup on April 16–17 in Bowling Green, OH.
 * Coach- Phil Hansell
 * Captain-
 * Record-
 * Dartmouth W-L Old Dominion
 * Dartmouth 19-0 Loyola Baltimore
 * Coach- Roger Mazzerella
 * Captain-
 * Record- 29–5–2
 * Bowling Green 14-3 Ohio State

Air Force Qualified for the National Championship by winning the Western Collegiate Championship on April 16–17 in Las Cruces, NM.
 * Coach- Vern Francis
 * Captains- Alex Rosano/Steve Hajosy
 * Record- 15–2–1
 * Air Force 28-3 South Dakota
 * Air Force 7-6 Kansas
 * Air Force 22-13 Colorado

California Qualified from Pacific Coast College Championships on April 5–10 in Santa Barbara, CA.
 * Coach- Jack Clark
 * Captain-Gary Hein
 * Record- 15-4(9–0)
 * California 21-0 UC Davis
 * California 48-0 Washington State
 * California 19-15OT San Diego State