New Club Formation

Yale Divinity School's Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and the Community Life Committee (CLC) welcomes applications for new student organizations.

While new student orgs help form the YDS  student community, students are equally and strongly encouraged to pursue their goals within the framework of existing student orgs.

To be recognized as an official Club, a new Club proposal must be reviewed and approved by OSA and voted upon by the CLC.

Proposals will only be approved for Groups that present a well-researched, thoughtful argument about how their mission and vision distinctly separates them from existing clubs at YDS. It is also important that student interest in the club will sustain year to year.

Note: Only new Groups that cannot fit within existing clubs will be approved.

If you conclude that your goals and activities cannot be met through an existing club and you would like to establish a new Club, you must work through the below steps.

  1. 1

    Have a Conversation with OSA

    Schedule time with Kit Heeley, Director of Student Life, to discuss your new group goals and other details.

  2. 2

    Complete the Application

    Submit your new club application here, following your discussion with OSA. Provide as much information as possible. Deadline for each academic year is the first Friday in October, 5PM.

  3. 3

    The CLC Votes

    Once your application is received the CLC committee will invite you to present your new group proposal, and discuss the application before a vote is taken. This is typically done around 10-25 business days after you submit the application.

  4. 4

    Setup, Training, and Development

    If the CLC votes for your group to become an officially established club at YDS; congrats! You will then be asked to go through setup and training with the OSA team. Your entire new leadership team should be present for this. We will setup your YaleConnect page, and provide training on how to plan events at YDS, funding, and policies to be aware of.

  5. 5

    Your First Year

    Focus in your first year as an established club on building your membership, hosting small and meaningful events/gatherings, and developing your goals and energy of the club!

    OSA will continue to check in on your progress, and we expect you to reach out with questions or further training on helping your make sure your new club is successful! The CLC may ask for a report at the end of the year to review your progress.