BU Student Organizations 2025-2026: 450+ Clubs, Splash Fair, Funding & How to Get Involved

BU has approximately 450-500 registered student organizations funded by a $2.7 million annual Allocations Board budget. You discover them at Splash -- BU's semiannual club fair held on Nickerson Field (fall) and in Metcalf Ballroom (spring), where 450+ clubs set up tables with color-coded balloons by category. All clubs are listed on Terrier Central (bu.campuslabs.com/engage). Here's the complete guide to what's available, which organizations matter most, and how to actually get involved.

Splash is the single best way to discover BU clubs. It's held twice per year and has been a BU tradition for over 20 years.

Fall Splash:

• Where: Nickerson Field (West Campus, outdoors)
• When: First Saturday of September during Orientation Week, noon-2:30 PM
• Scale: 450+ clubs, thousands of students attend (~4,000 freshmen typically)

Spring Splash 2.0:

• Where: Metcalf Ballroom in the George Sherman Union (indoors)
• When: Late January, noon-2:30 PM

What it's like: Organizations set up tables arranged by category with color-coded balloons -- large balloons mark sections for preprofessional clubs, club sports, community service, cultural organizations, Greek life, and more. There's a DJ, swag giveaways, and sign-up sheets everywhere. Student Leadership & Impact Center Director Margaret Babson describes Splash as a "prime opportunity to connect with other people and learn how to get involved."

Tips from upperclassmen:

• Carol Orellana (CGS'24, Sargent'26): "Don't sign up just for things that will look good on your resume. Do what you find interesting."
• Anika Pisal (CAS'26): "You may end up signing up for clubs you won't attend. Don't feel pressured to join a club just because your friends are."
• Do some research on Terrier Central before Splash so you know what to look for.

Terrier Central is BU's online platform for discovering and managing student organizations. It's powered by CampusLabs/Engage.

URL: bu.campuslabs.com/engage/organizations (or terriercentral.bu.edu)

What you can do:

• Browse all registered organizations by category or keyword
• View club descriptions, contact information, and social media links
• See a daily event calendar with upcoming activities
• Submit new club registration applications
• RSVP to events and track your involvement

The platform is managed by the Student Leadership & Impact Center (SLIC), located in the George Sherman Union at 775 Commonwealth Avenue. SLIC replaced the former Community Service Center and Student Activities Office. Contact: sao@bu.edu.

Here are specific, well-known organizations across major categories:

Media:

• The Daily Free Press -- Independent student newspaper, founded 1970. Publishes news, opinion, sports, arts. Funded by advertising, editorially independent of BU administration.
• WTBU (89.3 FM) -- Student-run radio station, founded 1965. Entirely student-staffed, housed in the College of Communication.
• BUTV10 -- Student-operated media production network, established 1984. Produces news, sports, drama, comedy, and variety programming.

Performance & Arts:

• BU Stage Troupe -- Oldest and largest extracurricular performing arts group for non-theater majors. Active 70+ years.
• Dance Theatre Group (DTG) -- Oldest and largest dance group on campus, established 1973. Weekly master classes with professionals.
• 13 a cappella groups including In Achord (est. 1990, all-gender), The Dear Abbeys, BU Terpsichore (treble-voice, est. 1989), The Treblemakers, BosTones, Forte, and more. Annual "Night of BU A Cappella" event.

Pre-Professional:

• Boston University Consulting Group (BUCG) -- Provides real strategy consulting to clients
• BU Finance and Investment Club (BUFC) -- Mentoring from first year to first job
• BU Real Estate Club (BURE) -- "Home to the world's most prominent undergraduate real estate guest speaker series"
• 180 Degrees Consulting -- World's largest student-run consultancy, helps nonprofits

Cultural:

• BUIAA (International Affairs Association) -- Described as BU's largest student organization. Hosts Global Village, publishes the International Relations Review
• Asian Student Union -- All-inclusive Asian culture organization
• ALPFA-BU -- Association of Latino Professionals for America

Unique/Quirky:

• BU Cheese Lovers Society, FeelGood BU (fights hunger "one grilled cheese at a time"), BU Smash Bros Society, BU Capoeira Club, BU Gliding & Soaring Club, BU Beekeeping Club

BU's community service ecosystem is one of its strongest features, contributing over 75,000 hours of service annually. The Student Leadership & Impact Center runs 13+ student-run volunteer programs.

FYSOP (First-Year Student Outreach Project):

• Founded 1989. The signature pre-orientation service program.
• Completely free -- included in your Orientation experience.
• Groups of 10-13 first-year students led by 3 upperclassmen staff leaders.
• Focus areas include social justice, intersectionality, and community building.
• Partners with local Boston organizations for service projects.
• One of the best ways to make friends before classes even start.

Student Food Rescue (SFR):

• Founded 1988. One of the largest student-run food salvage programs in the country.
• Distributes over 50,000 pounds of food annually.
• Weekly 2-hour volunteer shifts -- low time commitment, high impact.

Alternative Service Break (ASB):

• Founded 1988. Students travel to partner organizations during school breaks.
• Focus areas: food justice, human rights, environment, education.
• Partners include Cradles to Crayons, Boston Area Gleaners.

Other service programs: Afterschool (K-12 tutoring), Branch Out (environmental), Club GiiVE (general volunteering).

Greek life at BU exists but is significantly smaller than at traditional universities:

By the numbers:

• ~15% of undergraduates participate
• 12 fraternities (IFC) + 12 sororities (Panhellenic) + multicultural organizations (MGC)
• ~100 men and ~400 women go through formal recruitment annually
• Recruitment held twice yearly (beginning of fall and spring semesters)

The BU difference: Greek life is non-residential -- there are no chapter houses on campus. Members live in regular BU housing. This is very different from schools where Greek life dominates the social scene.

Fun fact: Lambda Chi Alpha was founded at Boston University on November 2, 1909. BU is the birthplace of one of the largest fraternities in the country.

Notable chapters:

• Panhellenic: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta (Tri-Delt), Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Delta, Sigma Kappa, and others
• IFC: Lambda Chi Alpha, Chi Phi (Tau Zeta Chapter, est. 1989), Alpha Epsilon Pi, and others
• MGC: alpha Kappa Delta Phi (BU's first and only recognized Asian-Interest sorority)

As one student described it: Greek life at BU is "growing very fast" but logistically challenging without centralized housing -- "You have to hunt people down and figure out where you can meet."

BU has 37 student-run club sports teams managed through the BU Fitness & Recreation Center (FitRec). These are competitive teams that practice regularly and travel to competitions, but without the time commitment of varsity athletics.

Confirmed club sports include:

• Rugby (Men's and Women's)
• Sailing
• Fencing
• Equestrian (competes in IHSA Zone 1 Region 4)
• Ice Hockey (Men's and Women's)
• And 30+ more

Club sports are a great option if you played a sport in high school and want to continue at a competitive level without the Division I commitment. Teams recruit at Splash and throughout the year.

BU Student Government is modeled after the US government with three branches:

Executive Branch: Executive Board + Cabinet -- manages programs and services

Legislative Branch: Senate with college-specific senators and at-large seats -- the "direct student voice" Judicial Branch: Judicial Commission + Student Elections Commission -- oversees elections and constitutionality

Real elections: Over 4,900 students voted in the 2024 election. Students run as organized parties/slates (e.g., "Breakthrough BU" won 2024-25, "Fight 2 BU" won 2023-24). At-large parties gain Senate seats proportional to votes received.

Each school also has its own student government -- CAS Student Government, Questrom Student Government, COM Student Government, etc.

Website: busgov.org

Questrom alone has over 50 graduate and undergraduate clubs. Notable undergraduate organizations:

• BU Marketing Club (BUMKC) -- Four committees, open campus-wide, speaker events with local and global businesses
• BU Real Estate Club (BURE) -- World's most prominent undergraduate real estate guest speaker series
• herNetwork -- Women in business organization
• Sports Business Club
• Music Business Club
• Business Law Club
• Black Business Student Association (BBSA)
• Alpha Kappa Psi and Delta Sigma Pi -- Professional business fraternities

Questrom clubs are generally open to all BU students, not just Questrom majors.

Student organizations at BU receive meaningful funding:

The Allocations Board (AB):

• Distributes approximately $2.7 million annually from the Student Activities Fee
• Can distribute roughly $700,000 per request cycle
• Funding allocated on a semester basis (fall and spring)
• Operates on a need-based system -- organizations with high account balances receive less
• All recognized undergraduate student organizations can apply

How to apply: Submit funding requests through the Allocations Board portal at bu.edu/allocate/funding/.

In 2022, BU added an additional $500,000 from reserve funds to increase the total distribution. The Student Activities Fee is mandatory and included in your tuition and fees.

Bottom line: If you want to run an event, bring in a speaker, or travel to a competition, there is real money available. The AB takes applications seriously and funds hundreds of organizations each cycle.

Yes, some student activities can count for BU Hub credit -- but not automatically.

Hub Cocurricular Experiences:

• 0-unit, ungraded experiences that fulfill 1 Hub requirement
• Combine hands-on activities, discussion, reflection, and assignments
• Entering first-year students can fulfill up to 2 Hub requirements through cocurriculars
• Transfer students can fulfill up to 1 Hub requirement
• Successful completion shows as a "P" on your transcript

Hub areas available through cocurriculars:

• The Individual in Community
• Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Creativity/Innovation

Important: Not every club counts. Only specifically designated Hub cocurricular experiences qualify. Check the official listing at bu.edu/hub/specialty-courses/cocurricular-learning-experiences/listing-of-hub-cocurriculars/.

If your interest isn't represented, you can create a new organization:

Process:

1. Check Terrier Central to see if a similar club already exists. If one does, meet with its leadership first.
2. Build your team: Appoint or elect a President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary.
3. Write a constitution covering: official name, purpose, membership bylaws, election processes, financial requirements, officer roles.
4. Meet with SLIC staff: Schedule a meeting with an Assistant Director at the Student Leadership & Impact Center before submitting.
5. Submit application through Terrier Central.
6. Wait for review: SLIC reviews all applications and emails if further information is needed.

Contact: sao@bu.edu

Once recognized, your organization can apply for Allocations Board funding, reserve campus space, and participate in Splash.