How UChicago clubs get money: USG, SGFC and Annual Allocations

Checked October 6, 2026, on USG's and the University's own pages.

Where the money comes from

Every College student pays a Student Services Fee, $559 a quarter in 2026-27, up from $541. The Student Manual says the fee supports the Undergraduate Student Government and funds Recognized Student Organizations.

USG calls itself the primary funding body for every RSO and says it manages a budget of over $2.1 million. College Council, its 20-member legislature, approves the funding. It meets Mondays.

The 2026-27 budget, by committee

College Council passed the 2026-27 budget in April. Under the CLEAR Act, passed in spring 2026, USG publishes each RSO's requests and allocations on uchicagousg.org, and SGFC keeps a ledger of this year's decisions.

Smaller lines cover USG's own admin, CORSO and a COMSA grant fund.

Annual Allocations

Annual Allocations funds next year's events in one round, late Winter to mid-Spring, and the money lands in your Blueprint account when Fall Quarter starts. Your RSO has to be at least a year old. It also has to be active in Blueprint. Sports clubs and PCC groups apply elsewhere, and academic teams can only ask for on-campus activities.

In 2026 the training opened February 27, budgets were due April 10 and final allocations came out May 4. The 2027 dates are not posted yet, so check the timeline page in February. CLI says the committee has hundreds of groups to support with limited funds, and that Annual Allocations is not meant to be any club's only money.

SGFC

SGFC funds events that come up during the year. It meets weekly, and CLI posts which Friday deadline covers which event dates. Groups assigned to PCC, CAT or the Sports Club Fund cannot use it. Its per-person food limits and autumn deadlines are in the guide to ordering food for a club event.

Theater, film, academic teams and sports

PCC and CAT fund groups with a set classification, mostly in Spring Quarter. PCC covers groups like COUP, Doc Films, University Theater and WHPK. CAT covers teams like Mock Trial, Moot Court, ChoMUN and Debate. The Sports Club Fund works with Athletics, and the Community Service Fund backs community service RSOs. All CSF budgets have to show 10 percent of the cost raised by the group.

Starting a new club

The RSO application for this cycle opened September 28 and is due Sunday, December 6, 2026. You need a faculty or staff sponsor, seven other students and bylaws. Approved clubs go active in the first week of Spring Quarter 2027. A new club can ask SGFC for money but has to wait a year for Annual Allocations.

Existing RSOs re-register by October 15, 2026, with at least seven members on the Blueprint roster.

Booking a room

RSOs book Student Centers rooms through EMS at reserve.uchicago.edu, up to 365 days ahead, and Student Centers asks for at least 10 business days' notice. Most of its rooms are free for RSOs.

Food for the event

The easiest way to get the food is Pool's catering form, one form for several Hyde Park restaurants with no account, and you pay the restaurant directly. Pool is also the food deals app for UChicago, with 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl and 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street, plus deals at 12 more Hyde Park restaurants (one from October 8).