UCLA has 1,863 student groups in this directory: 1,614 organizations registered with the university, plus club sports teams, school clubs and music ensembles. Most of them take new members in the first three weeks of fall quarter, but not in the same way. A dance team holds auditions, a consulting club reads applications, a hiking club just wants you at the next trip.
Every club page here says which way in a group uses, under How to join, from what the club itself has posted.
| How you get in | What it means | Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Come to a meeting or fill out a form, and join the list. No selection. | 1,367 |
| Application | A written application, often followed by interviews. | 316 |
| Tryouts | Competitive teams pick players at the start of the season. | 25 |
| Auditions | Performing groups: a cappella, dance, theater, ensembles. | 75 |
| Rush or intake | How fraternities and sororities choose new members. | 60 |
| A class | Music ensembles you join by enrolling in the course. | 20 |
Open clubs: show up, then sign up
Most groups are open. You go to a general meeting, put your name on the mailing list or join the group chat, and you are a member. Some charge dues; the first meeting is where you find out how much and what they pay for.
First general meetings usually land in weeks 1 to 3 of fall quarter. In fall 2026, week 1 ran from September 28 to October 2. Clubs announce the time and room on Instagram first, so the fastest way to catch a meeting is to follow the club a week before classes start.
For most clubs the sign-up link lives in the Instagram bio, often behind a Linktree: a Google Form, a Discord or GroupMe invite, a Slack workspace or a mailing list. That is where this directory looked: 730 groups here list a sign-up or interest form and 420 a Discord or group chat, under How to join on their page. The Sign-up form and Discord or group chat filters find them.
Missing week 1 is not fatal. Open clubs keep taking members all year; an email or a message to the club's Instagram is enough.
Applications: the selective clubs
Consulting and finance clubs, many research programs, project teams and some service programs with clinical placements choose their members. The usual pattern: an info session early in week 1, an application due within the first two weeks, then interviews, with decisions soon after. Some recruit again in winter or spring for the spots that open up.
Apply to more than one, and keep an open club or two in the mix while you wait. Our guide to selective clubs covers the process step by step.
Tryouts and auditions
Most of UCLA Recreation's 60 club sports teams compete against other universities. Some pick players by tryout at the start of fall, others take anyone who comes to practice; the club sports guide sorts them out.
Performing groups audition, usually early in fall and sometimes again in winter. The School of Music's ensembles are a special case: many are classes you enroll in, and the rest audition non-majors each fall. See playing music at UCLA.
Rush and intake
Fraternities and sororities belong to six councils, and each council recruits its own way: a registered formal recruitment, an open rush week, a Meet the Greeks week, or intake by invitation later in the year. Most of it happens before or during week 1, so it is the one area where waiting costs you a quarter. Greek life at UCLA has the councils and their fall 2026 dates.
Check who the group is for
883 groups are for undergraduates, 588 take undergraduates and graduate students, and 388 are for graduate or professional students, usually of one school. A few are for staff and faculty. Every club page shows this under Who can join, and the directory's filters narrow by it. Graduate students have their own guide.
Habits that help
- Fill out the interest form even if you are unsure. It is how most clubs reach people, and it commits you to nothing.
- Try three first meetings in three different areas before settling. The first meeting is the club's pitch. Go back once more to see a normal week.
- Write down deadlines. Applications and tryout sign-ups close in days, not weeks.
- Save clubs as you go. The bookmark on every club in this directory keeps a shortlist on your browser, or on every device with a free account.
- Check that the group still exists. Every registered organization has to re-register with UCLA each fall. For 2026–27 re-registration closes October 9, 2026, and groups that miss it lose their status on October 31.
New this year
220 organizations registered with UCLA for the first time in 2025–26. New clubs are small and rarely selective, and they often need people to help run them. They are all under New this year.