| 1956 Qualifications Results | |||
| Place | Team | Time | |
| 1 | Sigma Nu | 2:33.4 | |
| 2 | South Cottage Grove | 2:34.0 | |
| 3 | Dodds House Gargoyles | 2:34.3 | |
| 4 | Delta Chi | 2:35.1 | |
| 5 | Phi Gamma Delta | 2:35.9 | |
| 6 | North Hall Barons | 2:36.2 | |
| 7 | Sigma Pi | 2:37.6 | |
| 8 | Sigma Alpha Epsilon | 2:39.1 | |
| 9 | Acacia | 2:40.0 | |
| 10 | Phi Delta Theta | 2:41.1 | |
| 11 | West Hall II | 2:41.2 | |
| 12 | Phi Kappa Psi | 2:42.2 | |
| 13 | Dunn House Sheiks | 2:42.5 | |
| 14 | Delta Upsilon | 2:43.7 | |
| 15 | Rollins House | 2:44.8 | |
| 16 | Kappa Sigma | 2:44.9 | |
| 17 | Theta Xi | 2:45.1 | |
| 18 | Hickory Hall West | 2:45.2 | |
| 19 | West Hall Trojans | 2:45.6 | |
| 20 | Alpha Tau Omega | 2:46.2 | |
| 21 | South Hall "A" | 2:46.2 | |
| 22 | Laurel Hall North | 2:46.6 | |
| 23 | Maple Hall North | 2:46.7 | |
| 24 | Kappa Delta Rho | 2:47.8 | |
| 25 | Sigma Chi | 2:48.9 | |
| 26 | Theta Chi | 2:49.2 | |
| 27 | Parks House | 2:49.7 | |
| 28 | Tau Kappa Epsilon | 2:50.2 | |
| 29 | Rogers "I" | 2:51.4 | |
| 30 | Maple Hall South | 2:51.5 | |
| 31 | North Hall Cavaliers | 2:52..0 | |
| 32 | Hall House Esquires | 2:52.1 | |
| 33 | Ruter House | 2:52.2 | |