diff --git a/src/main/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardController.java b/src/main/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardController.java
index 3223a4393..584439a74 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardController.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
 import org.patinanetwork.codebloom.common.components.LeaderboardManager;
 import org.patinanetwork.codebloom.common.db.models.leaderboard.Leaderboard;
 import org.patinanetwork.codebloom.common.db.models.user.UserWithScore;
@@ -99,6 +100,8 @@ public ResponseEntity<ApiResponder<Page<Indexed<UserWithScoreDto>>>> getLeaderbo
             @Parameter(description = "Discord name", example = "tahmid")
                     @RequestParam(required = false, defaultValue = "")
                     final String query,
+            @Parameter(description = "Filter for users by institution") @RequestParam(required = false)
+                    final Set<String> filters,
             @Parameter(description = "Filter for Patina users") @RequestParam(required = false, defaultValue = "false")
                     final boolean patina,
             @Parameter(description = "Filter for Hunter College users")
@@ -133,22 +136,31 @@ public ResponseEntity<ApiResponder<Page<Indexed<UserWithScoreDto>>>> getLeaderbo
 
         final int parsedPageSize = Math.min(pageSize, MAX_LEADERBOARD_PAGE_SIZE);
 
-        LeaderboardFilterOptions options = LeaderboardFilterOptions.builder()
+        final LeaderboardFilterOptions options;
+
+        final Set<String> normalizedFilters = filters == null
+                ? Set.of()
+                : filters.stream()
+                        .filter(java.util.Objects::nonNull)
+                        .map(s -> s.trim().toLowerCase())
+                        .collect(java.util.stream.Collectors.toSet());
+
+        options = LeaderboardFilterOptions.builder()
                 .page(page)
                 .pageSize(parsedPageSize)
                 .query(query)
-                .patina(patina)
-                .hunter(hunter)
-                .nyu(nyu)
-                .baruch(baruch)
-                .rpi(rpi)
-                .gwc(gwc)
-                .sbu(sbu)
-                .ccny(ccny)
-                .columbia(columbia)
-                .cornell(cornell)
-                .bmcc(bmcc)
-                .mhcplusplus(mhcplusplus)
+                .patina(patina || normalizedFilters.contains("patina"))
+                .hunter(hunter || normalizedFilters.contains("hunter"))
+                .nyu(nyu || normalizedFilters.contains("nyu"))
+                .baruch(baruch || normalizedFilters.contains("baruch"))
+                .rpi(rpi || normalizedFilters.contains("rpi"))
+                .gwc(gwc || normalizedFilters.contains("gwc"))
+                .sbu(sbu || normalizedFilters.contains("sbu"))
+                .ccny(ccny || normalizedFilters.contains("ccny"))
+                .columbia(columbia || normalizedFilters.contains("columbia"))
+                .cornell(cornell || normalizedFilters.contains("cornell"))
+                .bmcc(bmcc || normalizedFilters.contains("bmcc"))
+                .mhcplusplus(mhcplusplus || normalizedFilters.contains("mhcplusplus"))
                 .build();
 
         Page<Indexed<UserWithScoreDto>> createdPage =
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardControllerTest.java b/src/test/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardControllerTest.java
index 678f4a0ed..a46258d3f 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardControllerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/patinanetwork/codebloom/api/leaderboard/LeaderboardControllerTest.java
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 package org.patinanetwork.codebloom.api.leaderboard;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyBoolean;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.eq;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
 import java.time.LocalDateTime;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.UUID;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
@@ -57,6 +61,7 @@ void testGetLeaderboardUsersByIdMhcPlusPlus() {
                 PAGE,
                 PAGE_SIZE,
                 "",
+                Set.of(),
                 false,
                 false,
                 false,
@@ -138,6 +143,7 @@ void capsPageSize() {
                 1,
                 999,
                 "",
+                Set.of(),
                 false,
                 false,
                 false,
@@ -167,6 +173,7 @@ void passesAllFilters() {
                 2,
                 10,
                 "tahmid",
+                Set.of(),
                 true /* patina */,
                 true /* hunter */,
                 true /* nyu */,
@@ -203,6 +210,108 @@ void passesAllFilters() {
         assertTrue(opts.isMhcplusplus());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("passes all filter flags through to LeaderboardFilterOptions through set")
+    void passesAllFiltersThroughSet() {
+        leaderboardController.getLeaderboardUsersById(
+                LEADERBOARD_ID,
+                2,
+                10,
+                "tahmid",
+                Set.of(
+                        "patina",
+                        "hunter",
+                        "nyu",
+                        "baruch",
+                        "rpi",
+                        "gwc",
+                        "sbu",
+                        "ccny",
+                        "columbia",
+                        "cornell",
+                        "bmcc",
+                        "mhcplusplus"),
+                false /* patina */,
+                false /* hunter */,
+                false /* nyu */,
+                false /* baruch */,
+                false /* rpi */,
+                false /* gwc */,
+                false /* sbu */,
+                false /* ccny */,
+                false /* columbia */,
+                false /* cornell */,
+                false /* bmcc */,
+                false /* mhc++ */,
+                true /* globalIndex */,
+                null);
+
+        ArgumentCaptor<LeaderboardFilterOptions> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(LeaderboardFilterOptions.class);
+        verify(leaderboardManager).getLeaderboardUsers(eq(LEADERBOARD_ID), captor.capture(), eq(true));
+
+        var opts = captor.getValue();
+        assertEquals(2, opts.getPage());
+        assertEquals(10, opts.getPageSize());
+        assertEquals("tahmid", opts.getQuery());
+        assertTrue(opts.isPatina());
+        assertTrue(opts.isHunter());
+        assertTrue(opts.isNyu());
+        assertTrue(opts.isBaruch());
+        assertTrue(opts.isRpi());
+        assertTrue(opts.isGwc());
+        assertTrue(opts.isSbu());
+        assertTrue(opts.isCcny());
+        assertTrue(opts.isColumbia());
+        assertTrue(opts.isCornell());
+        assertTrue(opts.isBmcc());
+        assertTrue(opts.isMhcplusplus());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("passes certain filter flags through to LeaderboardFilterOptions through set")
+    void passesCertainFiltersThroughSet() {
+        leaderboardController.getLeaderboardUsersById(
+                LEADERBOARD_ID,
+                2,
+                10,
+                "tahmid",
+                Set.of("patina", "hunter", "nyu", "baruch", "bmcc", "mhcplusplus"),
+                false /* patina */,
+                false /* hunter */,
+                false /* nyu */,
+                false /* baruch */,
+                false /* rpi */,
+                false /* gwc */,
+                false /* sbu */,
+                false /* ccny */,
+                false /* columbia */,
+                false /* cornell */,
+                false /* bmcc */,
+                false /* mhc++ */,
+                true /* globalIndex */,
+                null);
+
+        ArgumentCaptor<LeaderboardFilterOptions> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(LeaderboardFilterOptions.class);
+        verify(leaderboardManager).getLeaderboardUsers(eq(LEADERBOARD_ID), captor.capture(), eq(true));
+
+        var opts = captor.getValue();
+        assertEquals(2, opts.getPage());
+        assertEquals(10, opts.getPageSize());
+        assertEquals("tahmid", opts.getQuery());
+        assertTrue(opts.isPatina());
+        assertTrue(opts.isHunter());
+        assertTrue(opts.isNyu());
+        assertTrue(opts.isBaruch());
+        assertFalse(opts.isRpi());
+        assertFalse(opts.isGwc());
+        assertFalse(opts.isSbu());
+        assertFalse(opts.isCcny());
+        assertFalse(opts.isColumbia());
+        assertFalse(opts.isCornell());
+        assertTrue(opts.isBmcc());
+        assertTrue(opts.isMhcplusplus());
+    }
+
     @Test
     @DisplayName("returns metadata for the most recent leaderboard")
     void returnsCurrentMetadata() {