Student Organization Recognition and Registration

Read the SGRC Charter.

This application is intended for student organization recognition through the USG. For Pace Center groups, please apply directly to the Pace Council for Civic Engagement. Religious Life organizations should reach out to Joanne Sismondo at sismondo@princeton.edu and Pace organizations should schedule an advising appointment with Kelton Chastulik at keltonc@princeton.edu before seeking recognition from the SGRC. The Student Group Recognition Committee (SGRC) works in conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) to help groups of motivated students find their niche on campus. Recognition gives student organizations the ability to use University spaces, apply for University funding, and use University technologies such as NetIDs, emails, and Listservs.

Steps to get your club recognized and registered:

1. Submit the completed organization documents to the Student Group Recognition Committee (sgrc@princeton.edu) at least one week prior to your intended meeting date with the committee. In your email, please specify the month in which you wish to present and use the following subject line: SGRC (insert desired month) Organization Approval Documents.

2. Schedule a meeting with the SGRC. Once the committee receives all the proposed organization’s documents, you will be sent a link to schedule a meeting with the SGRC.

3. Attend the scheduled interview with the committee. Please be prepared to present your organization and address any questions the committee may have. While the committee prefers to meet with the prospective club President and Treasurer, another representative who can answer questions on the organization's behalf may attend in their place.

4. Following the SGRC meeting, the committee will deliberate and determine whether to approve the proposed organization for recognition. If recognition is granted, the proposed organization must go before the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) senate for final review. If recognition is not granted, the committee will provide rationale for the denial and invite the proposed organization to apply in a future cycle.

5. Following the final review by the USG, the newly recognized organization must attend an onboarding session to learn about policies and processes, and be granted access to University systems.

Please review the schedule below for relevant SGRC dates for academic year 2026-2027:

The following are the general requirements for student groups applying for approval by ODUS, SGRC, and USG Senate:

1. The organization must address a distinct niche that is not already covered by an existing organization on campus.

2. The verbal presentation during the meeting with the committee should demonstrate the organization’s level of planning. Clear goals should be outlined, along with plans for future activities.

3. Prospective activities should be planned out and should not be the same activities that are regularly carried out by existing organizations. The activities should be unique.

4. All proposed activities should be well developed. The students presenting the organization must be able to articulate the rationale and methodology behind the execution of these activities.

5. If the organization intends to involve any on-campus resources, such as a department or faculty member, the relevant parties must be contacted before the submission of the documents to the SGRC.

6. If the proposed organization is a chapter of a national organization, the objectives of the national organization should not overlap with those of existing campus organizations. Even if the individual activities proposed by the prospective Princeton chapter are unique, the overarching goals of the national organization should not conflict with the aims of other established campus organizations.

7. Proposed groups should generally be open to all Princeton University undergraduates interested in supporting the organization’s mission. Requests to operate with selective membership must be consistent with established selectivity criteria and must be submitted each semester.

To submit a completed application for your prospective student organization, you must include the following materials:

1. Petition (link for virtual sample petition) with a minimum of 25 undergraduate student signatures

2. Student Group Constitution (sample constitution linked)

3. SGRC Questionnaire

Send a PDF copy of all materials to sgrc@princeton.edu by the stated deadline. Students are encouraged to review the Sample SGRC Meeting Questions to prepare for the interview with the committee.

Kindly note the following:

All clubs are evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis. The specified requirements represent the general expectations for all proposed clubs.

The Onboarding Sessions are mandatory for ODUS groups only. Pace and Religious Life groups should be in touch with Elsie Sheidler and Joanne Sismondo respectively for the next steps after approval. Additionally, due to the volume of applications received as well as the time required for the review process, late applications cannot be considered until the next application cycle.

Kindly note that agreement with the aforementioned criteria does not ensure approval, as all clubs are evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis. The specified requirements represent the general expectations for all proposed clubs.

After successfully completing the application, the committee will share a link through email to schedule an appointment:

1. Select time and date for meeting.

2. SGRC meets monthly, on the first Wednesday of every month, from 4:30 to 6:45 pm ET. The final meeting date for the 2026 - 2027 academic year is April 7, 2027. New groups must be recognized by this meeting to participate in the 2027 fall activities fair during orientation.

3. In your email, please include your full name and the name of the proposed club.

For groups registering with the University through ODUS, there will be new group orientation sessions held shortly after the SGRC meetings. Attending a new group orientation is a requisite step in the registration process. During the session new groups create their ODUS directory listing, NetID, and ListServ. Groups will also review policies and procedures, and use of the University’s financial system. If you have any questions, please contact ODUS student organization program coordinator Demyan Hryciw at demyanh@princeton.edu.