Find your own community

We know that finding people with similar interests and values is a great way to connect with others and make friends.

Student groups are one way of finding your tribe and the more groups we have showcasing the diversity of the Macquarie student body, the better!

Form a group

If you've looked around and thought that you have an interest that is not already represented by the existing student groups, why not start your own!

The first thing you need to do is find some people who have the same interest and start meeting up. There are lots of places and spaces on campus (and online!) where you can arrange social meet ups and start forming the basis of becoming a student group.

Become an affiliated group

If your student group starts to become more formalised, you might want to consider becoming an affiliated group.

Affiliation is the process of becoming associated with the university which comes with certain benefits, such as:

  • being able to book classrooms and theatres for student group events,
  • accessing equipment, like BBQs, for social events and fundraisers on Wally's Walk,
  • access to SSAF funds, and more!

If you want your student group to be affiliated, certain criteria needs to be fulfilled. Ask yourself the following five questions:

1. Is my student group unique?

Take a look at our list of student groups to ensure your club is not a duplicate of another club. If there is a similar existing group, why not join forces?

2. Has my student group been operating unaffiliated for three to six months?

We are here to help you build on the skills required to be a great executive of a student group. If you have been running your club unaffiliated group for a session or two, it shows us that you understand the commitment and leadership skills required and are a great foundation.

3. Are there three current students each undertaking the role of President, Treasurer and Secretary?

These three executive roles make up the management committee of each student group, and are compulsory for each student group. The executives must be current Macquarie University students. Your student group can have other roles and sub-committees [PDF 156KB] as well but we encourage starting small and then building on top of that when you have enough members!

4. Does my student group have at least a minimum of 20 members? And are at least 75 per cent of them currently enrolled at Macquarie?

At least 75 per cent of members in your group should be currently enrolled as students at Macquarie University, as this is a group that is for the Macquarie community!

5. Is my student group open to all Macquarie University students?

As an affiliated student group of Macquarie University, all student groups should have their membership open to all students (and staff!).

Did you answer 'yes' to all five of those questions? If you have, you can start your registration to become an affiliated group now or email the Student Engagement team at studentgroups@mq.edu.au for more information.

Please note affiliation applications for 2021 have now closed and will reopen in January 2022.