Students interacting during a Student Organization recruitment event.

Join a student organization and find your place at UWM! 

Build friendships, develop leadership skills, explore your interests, and connect with faculty, staff, and peers. It’s a great way to turn a big campus into a welcoming community.

Join an Organization

Being a member of a student organization can be an important factor in the success and enjoyment of your college experience. While academic learning is the primary goal of college, extracurricular activities help you learn and grow beyond the walls of the classroom and can provide you with hands-on-training to better prepare you for your future career. Participation in student organizations offers you opportunities for fellowship, leadership, recreation, and meaningful interaction with faculty, staff, and students. The good friends and times encountered through being actively involved on campus can help transform what is sometimes a large and overwhelming institution into a place you can call home. 

Finding the Right Match
Ask yourself some questions:

Why do I want to join an organization?  (Meet new friends, do something new, learn new skills etc.) 

What are the goals and objectives of the group?  Does the group have an affiliation with off-campus organizations? 

What time commitments are expected of me? 

What are the financial obligations of joining, if any? 

Will involvement enhance or deter my academics and career goals? 

 
It is important to remember that you could get “too” involved. Balance your schoolwork, friends, family, and work schedules with your involvement opportunities. Choose to be involved if you are satisfied with your life’s balance, schedule and interests. 

If you need help or some encouragement, feel free to contact Student Involvement at 414-229-5780 or at csidesk@uwm.edu. Our staff members are happy to help!
Contact Us
You can check out the online directory of student organizations anytime you wish. Each organization page includes a contact feature and a join request feature. 
View Organizations

Start an Organization

Don’t see your perfect fit on the UWM club list? Don’t sweat it, become a leader and create it yourself! With over 300 organizations already thriving, UWM empowers students to build communities around shared passions. The process is easier than you think – simply gather a few interested classmates, craft a compelling mission statement, and tap into UWM’s resources to get officially recognized. Become a founding member, build a leadership team, and watch your dream organization flourish!

Things To Consider Before You Start

Currently, there are nearly 300 student organizations at the UWM. While the university if supportive of co-curricular and extracurricular experiences, the institution has a responsibility to manage the resources needed for such a large number of organizations. 

There is also a limit as to how many students may be interested in joining a new organization with so many student organizations already available to them.

Consider the following:

  • Does our proposed organization overlap with any existing organization? Check the student organization list. If there is some overlap, what makes the proposed new organization different from similar organizations?
  • Does your student organization have enough interest among students to last for multiple years?
  • Has a similar organization been active on campus in the past?
  • Will the proposed organization require special resources (facilities, equipment, etc.) to operate and if so, how will the organization gain access to these unique resources?

Check the Student Organization List

Tips For Success

Read and respond to emails. Include all officers in the cc line of emails.

Respond to requests in a timely manner.
Organizations that have one or more individuals serving as officers who have been an officer in a student organization before have a much higher success rate than other student organizations.

If you have any doubts or questions, contact Student Involvement for assistance. Student Involvement, csidesk@uwm.edu, 414-229-5780 or Union 351.

Student Organization Registration Requirements

List four UWM students enrolled in a degree program, on a fee-paying (Segregated University Fee) basis for at least half‐time (6 credits for undergraduates and 4 credits for graduate students) as contacts within the Org Registration and showing in the online membership roster. Each student organization must provide the full name, UWM student identification number, phone number, and email address of four UW‐Milwaukee students to serve as officers. At least one of the contacts for the organization must agree to have their name and phone number or email address released as the public information for the group.

Have a membership consisting of at least 3/4 students enrolled for a minimum of one semester hour of credit at UWM. To comply with this requirement, student organizations must maintain a current roster of membership at all times in the online platform used by UWM for student organizations (Presence).

List the name, office location, telephone number, and email address for at least one faculty or staff advisor who is employed by UW‐Milwaukee. This information must appear in the Org Registration and in the membership roster online. The name and UWM email address for the faculty/staff advisor’s supervisor must also be provided so that liability protection for the advising role can be documented.

A UWM approved Charter document. This can take the form of a Constitution, Bylaws, one of the charter forms available online or other primary operating document.

Disclose any community, state, national, or international affiliations of your student organization by listing them in the Org Registration in the Affiliations section. Constitution/bylaws of the affiliated organization(s) can be submitted electronically as PDF or by using a website URL.

Additional criteria for registering a student organization on campus can be found in the Student Organization Guide and RSO Expectations, located on the Student Involvement website, under Student Organization Resources.

  1. Register Your Organization

    It’s easier than you think – just a few steps and you’ll be connecting with like-minded peers and fostering a vibrant campus community.

  2. Attend Training

    • Each Officer must complete the “Organization Registration and Officer Training” module in Canvas named Student Organization Training 2024-25 .
    • Go through the Officer Training Module in detail, take the Officer Training Quiz at the end of the module and get an 80% to complete your officer training requirements.
  3. Complete Contracts

    Each of the 4 primary officers must complete and submit an individual Officer Contract in order to be considered eligible for officer status.  In addition, the organization’s Faculty/Staff Advisor must complete and submit an Advisor Contract.

  4. Edit Your Organization’s Details

    Ensure your organization is a trusted resource! Provide clear and current information for officers and advisors.

  5. Submit a Charter Application

    Start your student organization quickly! Choose the application that best suits your needs:

    • Basic Charter Application: This is a streamlined option perfect for getting your organization up and running fast.
    • Standard Charter Application: This option offers more detail if your organization has complex requirements.