Why should I join?

Why wouldn't you is a more important question!? There are plenty of reasons why you should consider joining a club, society or a student group. Here are some examples:
- Gives you the opportunity to meet lots of new like-minded people
- Adds value to your university life
- Looks good on your CV, equipping you with new skills and abilities
- Opportunity to try new things, get out of your comfort zone & explore new activities
- Teaches you how to keep a work/life balance

When can I join?

You are welcome to join a society, sports club or a student group at any time - even the day before the end of the year (if you really want!).

Keep an eye on the sports clubs as there may be trials if they are a competitive team. However, most have a social membership so you can still be involved with other people who like the same activity as you do! If you are unsure, just contact them using the details on their membership page.

Who can join?

You can join a society, sports club or a student group at any stage along your university life - it doesn't matter if you're a second year, third year or a PhD student. Societies, sports clubs and student groups also welcome non-student members.
While most sports clubs have members who do sports recreationally as well as competitively, some sports clubs accept members solely through trials and are more focused on competitive sports. It is best to check their AUSA website, Facebook page or ask them during (Re)Freshers Fair.

What is a Give it a Go?

Give it a Go (GIAG) events are organised by student activities for you to try out their activities before committing to a membership. These are typically held at the start of each term and don’t cost anything to attend. Keep an eye on ‘What’s on’ section of the AUSA website for opportunities.

I haven’t found what I'm looking for. What now?

Try Forums, Campaigns and RAG for more activities and initiatives to get involved in.
Still haven’t found what you were looking for? We would love to hear your feedback and with your help make AUSA website better! Fill out this form to help us improve this website.

Who I can contact if I have more questions?

General queries: ausa@abdn.ac.uk
Societies queries: societies@abdn.ac.uk
Sports club queries: fixtures@abdn.ac.uk.
Student groups queries: ausa@abdn.ac.uk

Sabbatical officers
Student President: ausapresident@abdn.ac.uk
Vice President for Sports: ausasports@abdn.ac.uk
Vice President for Communities: ausacommunities@abdn.ac.uk
Vice President for Welfare: ausawelfare@abdn.ac.uk
Vice President for Education: ausaeducation@abdn.ac.uk

What is AUSA Societies Union Membership?

A union membership is purchased when you first buy a membership to a society each year. This fee is only paid once annually. This £3 registers you and your chosen societies for insurance. However, AUSA does not keep any of these funds, this money is directly invested back into societies helping to cover core costs and purchase equipment to support needs of differing societies.
If you have questions about insurance, see more information below.

How much does AUSA Societies Union Membership cost?

The price of Societies Union Membership is £3 a year. These fees reset every 1 August.

Do I need to purchase AUSA Societies Union Membership each time I join a new society?

No, you only need to purchase one Societies Union Membership, no matter how many individual societies you join.?The Societies Union Membership fee is charged only once per year, and only if you decide to join a society.

What is AUSA Sports Union Membership?

A union membership is purchased when you first buy a membership to a sports club each year. This fee is only paid once annually. This £15 registers you and your chosen sports clubs for insurance. However, AUSA does not keep any of these funds, this money is directly invested back into sports clubs helping to cover core costs and purchase equipment to support needs of differing sports clubs.

How much does AUSA Sports Union Membership cost?

The price of Societies Union Membership is £15 a year. These fees reset every 1 August.

Do I need to purchase AUSA Sports Union Membership each time I join a new sports club?

No, you only need to purchase one Sports Union Membership, no matter how many individual sports clubs you join.?The Sports Union Membership fee is charged only once per year, and only if you decide to join a sports club.

What kind of insurance do I have as a member of society, sports clubs or student group?

What is the different between a society, sports club and student group?

A society is a social activity and is affiliated to the Societies’ Union. Societies must have 50% or more membership of UoA students and committees are completely student run. Should societies need support or representation they get in touch with AUSA, the Communities VP or the Societies Union. They have their own set of rules/byelaws and policies that meet their needs. These can be found here. More info about the committee and how you can get involved below.
A Sports Club is a competitive group of active students. We have three main types of sports including recreational, competitive and legacy. We do have active societies, however in order to become a sports club, activities must have the ability to compete on behalf of the institution at a structured event or league. Sports clubs are supported by the Sports VP, AUSA Staff and the Sport Union Committee. More info about the committee and how you can get involved below.
A Student Group is a group of students that deliver a service to the student experience and is completely student run. They must have 75% or more membership of UoA students. They have their own set of byelaws within the AUSA constitution that governs them, and they are supported by the Communities VP and each one has a representative on AUSA Student Council.

What is the role of Societies Union Committee?

The Societies Union Committee are the elected group of students that represent societies. They have regular meetings to discuss the priorities and issues and give feedback and recommendations to AUSA to help improve student activities. The Societies Union Committee attend AUSA student council as well and can be contacted on societies@abdn.ac.uk. If you are interested in being active in the Societies Union Committee, you can find more information here.

What is the role of Sports Union Committee?

The Sports Union Committee are an elected group of students that represent sporting issues and support the Sports VP with projects. They have seats on Student Council and attend regular committee meetings to help communicate the concerns and priorities of as well as support in the development of opportunities for sport. If you are interested in being active in the Societies Union Committee, you can find more information here.

Why did my payment for membership fail?

Below are some possible reasons for a failed payment. Please look through these before you contact your club treasurer about a failed payment.
- The billing address entered does not match the address that the card is registered to. You should only enter your student accommodation address if you have previously contacted your bank to make it your card’s registered address. If you think that you may have entered the wrong address, attempt the purchase again using the address that the card is registered to.

- The session timed out due to inactivity. This can happen if you started the transaction and came back to it later. It can also be caused by poor or disrupted WiFi or if your bank does not respond quickly enough. Attempt the purchase again from the start.

- Your card provider is not enrolled with 3D Secure Authentication. Many card providers are enrolled with 3D Secure, which offers a layer of checks for online purchases, required by law to protect against fraud. Check if your card provider supports 3D Secure. If it does not, the payment will need to be made with an alternative card. If your card provider does support 3D Secure, when entering the code or password, please double check that Caps Lock is disabled and repeat the process making sure there are no typing errors.

- If the transaction fails again, your card provider may have blocked the payment. Please contact your card provider. If your card provider says that it did not block the payment, contact your club treasurer who will make enquiries with AUSA’s finance department.