Start an Organization

All of these organizations provide valuable experiences and opportunities for skill development, while enriching the student experience and contributing to a vibrant campus culture.

Note: If your organization creates or changes their government documents, the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement must review and approve changes in the same manner as a completely new set of governing documents. The new version will then be uploaded to MavSYNC under documents.

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Existing Organization Re-registration Deadline:

August 20, 2026 at 11:45 PM

New Organization Registration Timelines:

Fall 2026

• August 20 – New student organization application review begins on Engage.
• September 17 – Deadline to submit the new organization application.
• Week of September 21 – Review committee evaluates submissions and may request revisions.
• Week of October 5 – Final committee review and decisions.

Spring 2027

• January 21 – New student organization application review begins on Engage.
• February 18 – Deadline to submit the new organization application.
• Week of February 22 – Review committee evaluates submissions and may request revisions.
• Week of March 8 – Final committee review and decisions.

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Steps to Start a New Student Organization:

Step One: Learn the Rules

The students and advisor should become familiar with the Student Organization Handbook. These resources serve as guides for student organizations on campus and can be found in the online Student Organization Resource Library.

Step Two: Identify Your Starting Members and Advisor

After you are familiar with the policies and resources for student organizations, the next step is to collect the following people for your roster. These are the standard requirements that your organization must maintain at all times:

1. One student to be President or other Lead Executive Officer.
2. One additional student to be the Treasurer or Lead Financial Officer.
3. Two additional general student members (remember, only currently enrolled students can be members and hold voting rights).
4. One UNO faculty or staff member (no graduate students) to serve as an advisor for the organization.

Step Three: Complete Advisor Agreement

The primary advisor will need to complete the Advisor Agreement Form.

This form must be completed by the organization's primary advisor. The individual who submits the form will be designated as the primary advisor and will receive direct communications from the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement regarding the organization.

Step Four: Construct Your Governing Documents and Get Them Approved

All organizations are required to have and follow at least one form of governing document (such as a constitution or a set of bylaws). This provides your organization basic structure and rules. A template set of bylaws can be found in the Resource Library. If you are re-registering a inactive organization, starting over with the current template is often the best way to ensure all required elements are included.

Step Five: Complete Sponsorship Agreement (If Necessary)

If your organization is going to be associated with a UNO office, department, or other kind of university unit, that means your organization is sponsored by that unit. That sponsorship relationship is documented with the Student Organization Sponsorship Agreement. Faculty/staff will need to complete this agreement before moving on to the next step.

This step can be skipped if your organization is not going to be sponsored.

Step Six: Apply for Recognition

After you have collected the above information, please submit the Organization Registration Form to present your organization's information for verification. This form is our way of ensuring you meet all the requirements. Do not apply until all above steps are complete or your application may be denied.

Step Seven: Decision

Applications to establish a new registered student organization may be submitted throughout the academic year. Once an organization has met the minimum membership, advisor, and governing document requirements, it may apply for official recognition. Applications are reviewed according to established semesterly deadlines published in the application materials during the Fall and Spring semesters.

Applications are reviewed by an organization review committee composed of university staff and students. Depending on the volume of applications received, the committee may review applications prior to the final semesterly deadline; however, the published deadline will not be extended. Substitutions, revisions, or additional materials submitted outside of the established review timeline may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Following the review process, the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement will notify the prospective organization of the committee's decision. Applications may be approved, denied, or returned with requested revisions before further consideration.

You can check the status of your submission via your profile on MavSYNC.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact involvement@unomaha.edu.

If the registration form is approved, your organization will be listed in the MavSYNC Directory. Additionally, the members and advisor specified in the submitted application will receive invitation emails to join your organization's roster.