Start a Club

Get involved and start a club with RUSU

At RUSU, we are committed to representing RMIT’s diverse student community. Our Clubs and Societies (C&S) Department helps students explore their social, professional, political, spiritual, and cultural identities by supporting a variety of campus clubs.

Starting a club is a rewarding but challenging experience. It offers a chance to develop skills, make lasting contributions to the RMIT community, and even have fun! Some of our clubs have been active for over 50 years.

While the process can seem complex, we’ve broken it down into clear steps. Please read the information below carefully.

If you have any questions or need advice, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Clubs team at rusu.clubs@rmit.edu.au. We’re here to help!

Note for Relaunching Inactive Clubs: Please still complete the 2025 New RUSU Clubs Expression of Interest form, as it will ask whether you are starting a new club or rebooting a lapsed club and will then prompt you to provide further details for reviving the club.

Please be aware of the following:

Club bank account processes have changed. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to access a previous account or its funds.
New timelines and processes apply for relaunching, so review all the information on this page.

Timelines

To have your club up and running by the start of a semester, reach out to us before the middle of the previous semester. It’s essential to give your club enough time to establish itself for long-term success. This applies both to new clubs and re-launched ones, to avoid repeating past mistakes.

Important:

Club registration lasts for two full semesters.
Club executives must be enrolled at RMIT for both semesters.

Starting a new club or reviving a lapsed one can take 8 to 12 weeks. Please read the steps below to understand the timeline in more detail. The Clubs & Societies department experiences busy periods, which is why we have specific intake periods for new clubs. We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible, but please ensure you read the form carefully to understand the intake periods and the requirements for starting a new club:

Research and Check Requirements
Building your management team and obtaining 30 EOI’s from students
Complete EOI and await a response from RUSU Clubs
Corresponding with Clubs officers and drafting the constitution
Awaiting approval from SEC
Planning and announcing IGM
Conducting IGM and finalising documents

Step 1: Research and Check Requirements

Before starting a club, do some research to ensure your idea aligns with RMIT and RUSU guidelines. Check the following:

Existing Clubs: Ensure a similar club doesn’t already exist at RMIT. You can view existing clubs here.
Affiliation: Determine whether your club fits under RUSU’s Clubs Program (clubs focused on social, professional, or cultural goals). Sports and creative arts clubs are managed by RMIT Student Life.
Overlap with Existing Services: Your club shouldn’t replicate a service already offered by RUSU or RMIT.

Club Requirements: To be considered, your club must:

Be democratic (adopt a constitution and elect leadership).
Not promote discrimination, violence, or militarisation.
Not be a business or primarily benefit an external organization.
Avoid fundraising for academic purposes.

For more details on RUSU’s regulations, visit RUSU Club Regulations.

Additional Considerations: RUSU may not support a club if:

There aren’t at least four active RMIT students to start it.
Most founders are final-year students, risking long-term sustainability.
The club’s goals or activities are not feasible.
University insurance does not cover the club’s activities.
The club might bring disrepute to RUSU or RMIT.
The club is actually a campaign or duplicates an existing service.

If you’re unsure about your idea, reach out to us before moving on to Step 2.

Step 2: Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)

If your club idea meets all the above requirements, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) form. This will help us evaluate whether your club proposal is feasible.

Submit your EOI

What to Expect After Submitting Your EOI:
Feedback usually takes a few weeks and may result in one of the following outcomes:

Referral to Student Life: If your club is better suited to the Student Life Clubs Program (sports, recreation, or creative arts), we’ll refer you to them.
Support for Provisional Affiliation: If your proposal is supported, we’ll recommend moving to the next step (Provisional Affiliation).
Refusal: If your proposal cannot be supported, we’ll explain why.

Step 3: Provisional Affiliation

Once your EOI is accepted, we’ll refer your club to RUSU Management for Provisional Affiliation approval. This grants you access to initial club resources and a timeline to complete the Full Affiliation process.

You will need to meet with a Clubs Officer to prepare your club’s constitution and finalise the next steps.

A Club constitution is a document that sets out the rules, structure, and purpose of a Club. It outlines how the Club operates, including membership requirements, leadership roles, decision-making processes, and other key guidelines to ensure smooth and sustainable management. RUSU Clubs use the RUSU Clubs Model Constitution. This was last updated in 2024 – some clubs use an older version.

For lapsed clubs that are rebooting, RUSU Clubs Department may require that the club updates to the current version of the Model Constitution. See Club Regulations for a copy. This doc highlights changes from the previous version so you can see how the Model was updated.

Step 4: Full Affiliation

After provisional affiliation, you must complete the following steps to achieve Full Affiliation:

Meet with a Clubs Officer: Discuss the process, finalize your constitution, and plan the Inaugural General Meeting (IGM).
Sign up 30 Full Members: Gather at least 30 RMIT students to join your club.
Hold Your Inaugural General Meeting (IGM): This is the official start of your club. You must:
- Vote on the club name, aims, membership fee, and constitution.
- Elect or appoint Executive Leadership – RUSU now allows club proposers to be appointed as Club leaders instead of requiring elections at the IGM. Your Clubs Officer will go over this with you when planning the meeting.
- Approve the club’s Annual Activity Plan.

Important: Your IGM must be held during Semester 1 or 2, and may require a RUSU representative to attend.

Complete the Full Affiliation Process: After the IGM, within two weeks, complete the following:
- Complete online onboarding forms.
- Set up your club’s bank account.
- Schedule a meeting with a Clubs Officer to finalize your onboarding.

Annual Reaffiliation

Every year, your club must re-affiliate to remain active. The reaffiliation process is similar to the Full Affiliation process and includes:

Holding an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Presenting annual reports, voting on club changes, and electing new executive members.
Completing the next year’s Full Affiliation process.

Important Notes:

Only enrolled RMIT students can hold executive positions.
75% of club members must be current RMIT students.
Members must rejoin each year.
Funding is based on the number of student members.
Clubs that fail to re-affiliate within two years are considered inactive.