How to start a society in Cambridge

In short

• Check that the society does not exist already. Duplicates are not approved.
• Find at least two co-founders for a committee of three, at least five members and a constitution. Then register with Cambridge SU, which takes up to 14 working days.
• Registering with the Junior Proctor is optional and separate. It needs a Senior Treasurer and brings University grants, insurance and the right to use the University's name.
• A society within one college starts with its JCR or MCR.

Does it exist already?

The SU will not approve an exact duplicate of a society it already has, so look first. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

• The SU's Find a Society directory lists every society registered with it. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
• The Proctors publish the list of societies registered with the Junior Proctor. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]
• CAMsocs puts both together with sports clubs and college societies: 812 listings, also by category. Each listing says where its facts came from and when they were read.

Three ways to register

A society can register with Cambridge SU, with the Junior Proctor (the University), with its college, or with more than one. They are separate, and each brings something different. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]

Cambridge SU

The SU's terms (updated August 2024) ask that a society [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]:

• has a committee of three, at least half of them current students, and a president who is a current student;
• has at least five members, most of them current students;
• has a constitution or guiding document, available to members and uploaded to its SU profile;
• is active through the year with a programme of events, and not for profit;
• is distinct from existing societies;
• is not a front for an outside organisation, and declares any affiliation, for example to a national charity, brand or political party.

You apply through the SU's online form; new applications can take up to 14 working days. Questions go to activities@cambridgesu.co.uk with the subject “New Society Set-Up”. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

The Junior Proctor

Registration with the Junior Proctor is voluntary. Any club or society made up wholly or partly of registered students can apply; sports clubs register with the Sports Service instead. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)] Registering brings [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]:

• the use of the University's name and branding, which only registered societies may use;
• grants from the Societies Syndicate;
• cover under some of the University's insurance;
• IT services: a societies.cam.ac.uk web address, @cam mailing lists, shared mailboxes and Teams;
• a place on the public list of registered societies.

It needs a Senior Treasurer, normally a member of the Regent House (whose roll is published each Michaelmas in the University's Reporter), or exceptionally someone else the Junior Proctor approves. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)] To apply, email the Junior Proctor (the Proctors' page gives junior.proctor@cam.ac.uk) at any time with the constitution, a statement of accounts signed by the Senior Treasurer (a new society's may show no transactions) and the list of officers. The Proctors' page has templates for all three. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)] A refusal can be appealed to the Societies Syndicate. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]

Your college

A society within one college should speak to its JCR or MCR first; the SU also recognises college-based societies set up there. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] Each college has its own process. At Queens', for example, a new society sends a form with its name, a mission statement, evidence of support such as a petition of 10 students, and a proposer and seconder, to the JCR or MCR officer for societies. The college union's council meets twice a term, and an unregistered society cannot book college rooms or claim funding. [Queens' College JCR (opens in a new tab)]

Sports clubs

University sports clubs register with the Sports Service, not the Junior Proctor. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)] Its pages give no public process for starting a new club; write to enquiries@sport.cam.ac.uk or call 01223 336580. [Sports Service (opens in a new tab)]

Step by step

1. Check it does not exist. Search the directories above.
2. Find your committee. Three people for the SU, with a student as president, and at least five members. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
3. Write a constitution. Start from the SU's template or the Proctors' sample (below).
4. Pick a name that does not suggest you are part of the University (below).
5. Register with the SU through its online form, and allow 14 working days. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
6. If you want University registration, find a Senior Treasurer and email the Junior Proctor. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]
7. Open a bank account in the society's name, and apply for a start-up grant (below).
8. Plan your first events, book rooms and tell people (below).
9. Get listed on CAMsocs (below).

The constitution

The SU has a constitution template. It covers the society's aims (and which of the SU's seven groups it belongs to), membership, the committee and its duties, meetings, amendments, SU registration and dissolution. It says only matriculated Cambridge students may hold committee posts, and that committee elections run by secret ballot on the SU's website. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

The Junior Proctor's guidance lists what a constitution should set out: the name and aims; who can be a member and vote; how elections work; the officers' powers and duties; general and extraordinary meetings; how to change the constitution; subscriptions; finance and audit; how the society is wound up and its assets disposed of; and a disciplinary process with an appeal. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)] For a registered society, most of the executive committee must be current students or members of the Regent House, most of the principal officers (such as the President, Secretary and Junior Treasurer) must be current students, and there must be a published complaints procedure. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]

The name and the logo

• The Junior Proctor declines names that suggest a society is a University institution, or that are ambiguous or misleading. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]
• Only registered societies may use the University's shield, unaltered and shown apart from the society's own name. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)] The SU's guidance for societies adds: use the full University logo, never the coat of arms alone, never altered or merged into your own logo, with clear space around it and at least 30mm wide. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

Money

A bank account

The SU is not taking new applications for its internal society finance accounts, which in any case are open only to societies registered with it for a year. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] So a new society needs its own account. The Junior Proctor's guidance: the account should be in the society's full name; two people should have to sign, so no one officer can authorise spending alone, ideally with the Senior Treasurer as a signatory; online banking passwords should never be shared, and should change when officers do. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]

Grants

• SU Start-up Grant: up to £250, for societies registered with the SU within the last term. It cannot pay for SU services such as a Freshers' Fair stall. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
• SU Society Grants: three kinds (Education, Community-Building, and Liberation & Social Causes), up to £350 each. Apply through the “Grant Application” option on your society's SU page at least 14 days before the activity; a decision takes up to 14 days, and payment up to 14 more. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
• Societies Syndicate, for societies registered (or registering) with the Junior Proctor: launch grants, normally £200 or less, for start-up costs such as publicity, a first meeting or a fair stall, plus one-off and ongoing grants and guarantees against loss. Grants are not normally given to societies that charge no membership fee, and need a bank statement in the society's name and the Senior Treasurer's approval. Queries go to societiessyndicate@admin.cam.ac.uk. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]

A society whose turnover passes £90,000 must register for VAT. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

Rooms, events and publicity

Rooms

The SU Hub, in the University Centre, is free to SU-registered societies and booked through the SU's Activities Dashboard; book well ahead, as the SU's page asks for between five days' and two weeks' notice. In term it can be booked from 5pm to 8:45pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and holds 50 people (about 20 seated). The SU also publishes a room booking guide covering the colleges, University sites and others. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

Events and speakers

• On University premises, an event outside the curriculum needs a University organiser and permission, and rooms should be booked at least fourteen working days ahead. If you expect significant protest, consult the Proctors as early as you can, ideally at least seven working days ahead. Colleges have their own codes. [University governance and compliance (opens in a new tab)]
• Registered societies are asked to send the Proctors their programme before each term. A public play or entertainment may need a licence from the City Council, with 14 days' written notice at a licensed venue and at least 30 days' otherwise; don't advertise a licensable event before the licence is granted. For an event in a college, ask the college. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]

Telling people

• Any committee member of an SU-registered society can add events to the SU's What's On calendar, and apply for a Society Spotlight on the SU's Instagram. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
• Stalls for the Freshers' Fair go on sale in July and August, and for the Refreshers' Fair in November and December; the SU emails registered committees when they do. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] In 2026 a standard stall cost £50 indoors or £40 outdoors. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] No alcohol is allowed at the fair, and high-risk equipment needs a risk assessment. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]
• Once you have events, CAMsocs can show them on Events and your society's page: see below.

Safety, insurance and the law

• Liability. Societies are independent of the University, which accepts no liability for their debts. Most are unincorporated members' clubs, so a claim can fall on officers or members personally. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]
• Insurance. The University's public liability insurance extends to societies registered with the Junior Proctor, subject to a risk assessment of their activities. It does not cover, among other things, personal accident, belongings, vehicles or travel. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)] [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]
• Health and safety. A society is responsible for its members' safety; its officers should carry out risk assessments, have their own electrical equipment tested each year and keep a written code of practice. Work with children or vulnerable adults may need DBS checks. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]
• Sponsors. A sponsorship needs the Senior Treasurer's agreement and a written agreement saying how the money is used and what the sponsor gets. A sponsor may not use the University's name or arms, and sharing members' data with one must follow data protection law. For an employer-related event, contact the Careers Service at least 12 weeks ahead. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]
• The SU's committee resources include a finance guide, a guide to the society web page and guidance on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

Keeping it going

• SU. Registration renews every year; a society that does not re-register is archived. Tell the SU within a week if your contacts or membership rules change, or if the society disbands. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] The Proctors' page says the SU renews in June and July. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)]
• Junior Proctor. Re-register between 1 July and 31 December through the Proctors' Moodle site, with your latest accounts, current officers and any changes to the constitution; miss the deadline and you must register from scratch. [The Proctors (opens in a new tab)] The guidance asks for it ideally by 30 September, with accounts signed by the Senior Treasurer. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]
• Winding up. When a society registered with the Junior Proctor is dissolved, its remaining funds go to the Societies Syndicate (or, under the model constitution, to another registered society), and the Syndicate may ask for its grants back. [The Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab)]

Getting listed on CAMsocs

CAMsocs reads the SU's directory and the Proctors' list, so a registered society usually appears on its own after a while. To be listed sooner, or if you are not registered, use the “Add a missing society” form: the society's name, its website if it has one, an address to reply to and a short message. A person reads every request. Already listed? You can claim or correct the listing.

Sources

Each fact above links the page it comes from. These are the pages, and when they were read. Their publishers are the authority: check them for anything that matters, as dates and rules change from year to year.

1. Cambridge SU, Start a Society (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
2. Cambridge SU, Registration terms and conditions for clubs and societies (updated August 2024) (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
3. Cambridge SU, Constitution template (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
4. Cambridge SU, Find a Society (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
5. The Proctors, Clubs and societies (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
6. The Proctors, Societies registered with the Junior Proctor (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
7. The Proctors, Proctorial Notice 5, 2026–27: University clubs and societies (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
8. The Junior Proctor, Notes of guidance for clubs and societies (revised October 2026) (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
9. Queens' College JCR, Society registration form (Word document) (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
10. Sports Service, Student sport (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
11. Cambridge SU, Society finance and grants (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
12. The Proctors, Grants from the Societies Syndicate (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
13. Cambridge SU, Guidance for student societies on using the University logo (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
14. Cambridge SU, Room hire (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
15. University governance and compliance, Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
16. Cambridge SU, Promotion for societies (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
17. Cambridge SU, Freshers' Fair stallholder page (archived 22 August 2026) (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
18. Cambridge SU, Freshers' Fair information pack for stallholders (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.
19. Cambridge SU, Committee resources (opens in a new tab). Read 4 Nov 2026.