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Student Organizations

Student Organizations at Penn State

Your Penn State experience goes far beyond the classroom. With more than 1,000 student organizations across campuses, there’s a place for you to learn, grow, and belong. Whether you’re hoping to explore new interests, build lifelong friendships, develop leadership skills, or make an impact in your community, joining a student organization is one of the best ways to get involved. 

Recognized student organizations are student-led groups that meet University requirements and are officially acknowledged by Penn State. Recognition allows organizations to access campus resources, reserve space, participate in involvement fairs, and operate as part of the broader Penn State community.

Affiliated organizations maintain a formal relationship with Penn State and are fully student-governed, often with more formal advisor or staff support. These groups may include national or external organizations connected to the University and typically operate under specific agreements that outline their access to campus resources and involvement opportunities.

Sponsored organizations are closely connected to a University department or unit that provides direct oversight and support. These organizations align closely with institutional goals and benefit from additional guidance, structure, and resources through their sponsoring office.

Find your People in Discover

Start Here: the Involvement Fair

Not sure where to start? Attend an Involvement Fair to meet student leaders face to face, explore hundreds of clubs, and see what feels like a fit. Fairs are held at the beginning of fall and spring semesters—and they’re one of the easiest ways to jump in. 

Check Discover for Upcoming Dates and Details
A crowd gathers outside during the Involvement Fair

Resources for Student Organizations

Leading and managing an organization comes with the responsibility of understanding the various processes, policies, rules, and resources available to you. Find what you need to lead your team with confidence and vision.

Recognizing Excellence

We celebrate the dedication, creativity, and impact of Penn State’s student organizations each year. Through our Student Organization and Involvement Awards, we recognize outstanding achievements in leadership, community engagement, innovation, and more. 

Penn State's 2024 Award Winning Organizations

The New Initiative award recognizes an organization that implemented new initiatives and programs in the past year. This award will be given to recognize a new program or initiative created and implemented by a recognized student organization that contributed to the overall student experience. 

The Membership Engagement award recognizes an organization that has prioritized the retention and active involvement of their membership. This organization has worked to foster a sense of community within their membership, from new to returning members. They value all member and encourage involvement in the organization no matter the time spent in the organization. 

The Professional/Student Development award recognizes an organization that serve the needs of its members through speakers, workshops, retreats, conferences, and other acts to continually educate its members. This organization values the development of all its members and actively works to create an environment that promotes learning and growth.   

The Community Impact award recognizes an organization that positively impacts the campus and the greater Penn State community.  This organization strives to be a community builder through service, education, inspiration, and connection.  The recipient of this award has made outstanding and meaningful connections inside and outside of the PSU community. Through programs and initiatives, this student organization has had the opportunity to have a real and meaningful impact on both the campus and local community.   

The Collaborative Efforts and Initiative award recognizes a co-sponsored program or initiative that demonstrates synergy and success as a result of working together.  This award celebrates student organizations that have made collaboration a top priority.  The recipients have demonstrated they can break down barriers between diverse student populations and foster greater communication between different organizations on campus.  This may have occurred through programs, conversations, or publicity for a cause.  These organizations have enhanced the Penn State experience and made a larger contribution to the community with their collaboration.   

The Diversity and Inclusion Enhancement award recognizes an organization that has had a significant impact in advancing diversity and inclusion through their membership and activities at Penn State and the community. Their programming embodies the Penn State’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and demonstrates a commitment to enhancing the Penn State community. 

The Discover Maximizer award recognizes an organization that has taken full advantage of the Discover platform. This organization will have taken advantage of features such as forms, elections, news, and updated their organization’s public-facing page with photos and descriptions. This is a staff-nominated award.   

The Outstanding Event Planners award recognizes an organization that has excelled in the event planning process, from simple to complex events. This organization has taken advantage of university resources in making their event(s) planning process a success and has had interactions with multiple offices throughout the process. This is a staff-nominated award.  

The Outstanding Financial Management award recognizes an organization that has shown responsible financial procedures and fund usage. This is a staff-nominated award.  

The Outstanding Organization Advisors award recognizes PSU faculty/staff advisors of a Recognized Student Organization in good standing who has had a positive influence on an organization by providing support, approachability, and encouragement of effective communication within the organization.  

The Outstanding Organization Member Award recognizes a non-officer member of a recognized student organization who has gone above and beyond. This member works hard to make their community a warm, friendly, exciting, and educational experience for students. This award will be given to recognize a student organization member (not an officer) of a Recognized Student Organization who often places their heart and soul into everything. This member may be classified as often taking a “behind the scenes” approach but always goes above and beyond the standard to help their student organization, who displays outstanding leadership, dedication and involvement with their organization.  

The Outstanding Organization Officer Award recognizes an executive board officer that has made on impact on their organizations. The officer has helped define the missions of their groups, build plans to achieve their goals, provide encouragement and motivation to members while also managing expectations and providing important oversight, and maintains integrity even in difficult situations. The award celebrates the student organization officers who often dedicate much of their time and effort to ensure that their organization is successful and tirelessly give themselves to the projects and events associated with their organization. This award recognizes a student organization officer who displays outstanding organizational leadership, dedication and involvement to the overall success of their organization. 

The Outstanding Student Organization Award recognizes an organization that has made a significant effort to further its purpose through its contribution to Penn State and the State College community. This award recognizes the student organization that has demonstrated consistent flexibility, initiative, creativity, and perseverance through their activities and programs. Furthermore, the organization embodies a commitment to leadership development, collaboration among groups, and programmatic efforts to enhance the quality of campus life at Penn State. The Outstanding Student Organization is considered a role model for other organizations on our campus.  

The Outstanding Sustainability Efforts Award recognizes an organization that infuses sustainability into its daily practices. This organization has taken the time to educate their members on sustainable efforts within their organization and beyond. They have collaborated with other organizations, community partners, or departments to learn, grow, and share in the spirit of sustainability.  

The Up-and-Coming Organization Award recognizes a newly formed organization in good standing that has recently (within this academic year) gained recognition or re-instatement and has positively contributed to the PSU community. This organization exemplifies significant efforts in building collaborative relationships with current organizations and meets a need at PSU not met by another organization.  

  • 2024 Recipient: Media & Entertainment Business Association 

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes an organization that best demonstrates dedicated leadership and service to the university or community and whose membership has made service an integral part of their college experience. This might be demonstrated through activities and partnerships with other campus groups or community organizations and/or high levels of personal engagement on the part of the membership. The organization that receives this award will have sponsored a community service program that contributed to the broader mission of Penn State and encouraged students to engage in service beyond one experience.  

The Outstanding Marketing Award recognizes an organization that demonstrates significant presence and attention to traditional and present-day social media outlets. This organization understands that the promotion of their group and their group’s work is an important part of the event-planning process. The recipient of this award exhibits creativity, inclusivity, and a wide reach to attract students to events or to promote awareness of a cause. This student organization has gone above and beyond to demonstrate the importance of publicity.  

  • 2024 Recipient: National Association of Black Accountant 

The Outstanding Philanthropy Event Award recognizes an organization that has held a successful philanthropy event that benefited either a local or national philanthropy. This organization will have taken care in planning and executing the event and provided information regarding philanthropy during the event.  

The Innovative Program Award recognizes a student organization that took an inventive and original approach to creating or updating an existing program. The program met the need of the Penn State Community and its students through creative planning and marketing.  

Make it Yours

No matter what you're passionate about, getting involved in a student organization is one of the most powerful ways to make Penn State your own.

Start by Searching Discover
Students pose together inside the PRCC

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Every Penn State student's journey is shaped by care, opportunity, and community. When you give to Student Affairs, you help create the experiences that help students learn, lead, and thrive—on campus and beyond.

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Our events and programs are open to all students regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, or any other protected class. Student Affairs is committed to building a community of belonging for all.