Your Club Hub

Clubs are an essential part of Cal Poly. With over 300 Clubs at your fingertips, it is easy to meet students who share the same interests as you do. Whether you're a club officer, an advisor, a member of an existing organization or looking to start a new club: here's where you'll find everything you need to know about club policies, procedures, services, and resources.


members of the Cal Poly club baseball
Cal Poly Club Baseball
group photo of the Cal Poly Triathlon Club
Cal Poly Triathlon Club
students working on a porsche
Cal Poly Motor Car Association
photo of two people canoeing
Society of Civil Engineers
photo of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity tug-a-war
Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity Greek Week

Start A New Student Organization

Start a New Club

When a student/group of students have decided to start a new Cal Poly club, the following steps must be followed:

  • Research that no other club currently exists with a similar purpose
  • Find 8 or more currently enrolled Cal Poly students that are interested in being a part of the organization
  • Find a Cal Poly State employee who would be willing to serve as a club's advisor
  • Complete a Petition for University Recognition form and obtain required signatures
  • Complete club bylaws using the Club Bylaw Template. Bylaws must be typed, formatted correctly and contain the required text to be processed
  • Submit the Petition for University Recognition form, bylaws, and a rewritable CD with a copy of the bylaws in Microsoft Word (not required, but if submitted cd will be kept on file for future reference) to ASI Club Services for processing

Submission of the above items begins the club recognition process; however, club activities and events cannot commence until the club has been officially recognized by Cal Poly through Student Life & Leadership.

For additional step-by-step instructions on what is involved in starting a new Cal Poly club, please review the following  Flowchart.

Start a New Independent Student Organization (ISO)

If your student organization is interested in becoming a recognized Cal Poly ISO, please review the ISO criteria below:

A Cal Poly ISO is considered independent if all of the following criteria are met:

  • Maintains official affiliation with a national organization, or is incorporated as a non-profit organization
  • Follows a national organization's constitution
  • Follows a national organization's bylaws (customizing bylaws to the local organization is acceptable per authorization from the national organization)
  • Pays membership dues quarterly or annually that partially go to the national organization
  • Covered by insurance provided by the national organization

If your organization meets the above criteria, the next step is to schedule a meeting with Student Life & Leadership. If approved to move forward with the recognition process, the following steps must be followed:

  • Enter into a contract with the University
  • Provide a certificate of insurance from organizations national governing body
  • Complete an ISO roster and submit it to ASI Club Services for processing

ISOs are required to submit a roster, contract, proof of insurance, and proof of an off-campus bank account every year.