START YOUR OWN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

1. Consider the purpose and target audience of your association (who and why?)

If you’re thinking about starting a student association, it’s a good idea to consider the following:  

• What is the purpose of the student association? (e.g. to meet with others who have the same interests, to organise social events, to run for election)  

• Who is the student association intended for? (e.g. all students or students on a specific degree programme)  

These questions can serve as a guideline when drafting your association’s internal rules or by-laws.  

Consider whether you want to be a legally recognised association

In Denmark, there are no legal requirements for associations. However, you might want your association to be legally recognised if you intend to manage your own finances or own anything independently. There are five basic requirements that the association must meet in order to be legally recognised:  

• The association must have its own by-laws.  

• The association must appoint a committee.  

• The association must have members.  

• The association’s finances must be kept separate from the finances of its members.  

• The association must hold and document a founding meeting.   

Your association does not need to be legally recognised to be put on the ‘Find your student association’ list, but being a legally recognised association has a number of advantages, including the right to assemble, the option to have an association bank account, and the opportunity to apply for grants and funding.  

  

2. Define the association’s structure and by-laws

Think of your by-laws as the internal laws of your association that you can refer to in case of disagreements.   

To become legally recognised as an association, there are some requirements that your by-laws must meet. And if you plan to apply for funding from public grant schemes, your by-laws must also meet their specific requirements.  

That said, each association’s by-laws are different, so you should think carefully about what you want your by-laws to include.  

• Read more in CFSA’s guide to writing by-laws and their 10 steps to good by-laws help sheet (in Danish).   

  

3. Appoint a committee

Regardless of whether you want your association to be legally recognised, it’s a good idea to appoint a committee that can act and sign on behalf of the association. You would typically appoint a chair, vice-chair and treasurer, but it’s also fine to only have a chairperson.  

• Read more in CFSA’s guide on how committees are appointed and what tasks they typically fulfil (in Danish).  

Don’t forget your members  

It’s a good idea to actively think about who your association is meant for and to formulate who can become a member.   

Consider the following questions:  

• Who can become a member?  

• How many members can the association have?  

• Can other associations become members?  

• When can a member be excluded?  

• How is a member excluded?  

  

4. Make a plan for finances and membership fees  

If your association has income and expenses, you need to create separate accounts and budgets for it. This can help you keep track of whether funds are used for the right purpose. This also means that the association’s finances must be separate from your own and your members’ finances.  

• Read more in CFSA’s guide on how to set up a bank account for your association (in Danish).  

Consider whether members should pay a membership fee.  

If you want to open a bank account for your association or receive public funds, you need to register your association with a CVR number on The Danish Business Authority’s website. You won’t need to pay. This is also a good way to document how the association’s money is spent.  

  

5. Hold a founding meeting  

It is important to be able to document that your association is formally established. Keep minutes or other documentation from a meeting during which your association was founded.  

Now you’re ready for the final step:

Register your association by filling out the form for registering student associations at AU. You need to provide the following information:  

• Name of the student association  

• Purpose of the association  

• The association’s target audience  

• The association’s chair/contact person  

• The chair/contact person’s email address  

• The degree programme on which the chair/contact person is enrolled 

• The chair/contact person’s student number  

• Link to the association’s website/social media  

• Documentation of the founding of the association  

• The association’s by-laws (if applicable)  

Once you have registered your association, it will appear in the list of associations under ‘Find your student association’ at the top of this page. Other students looking for associations at AU will be able to find yours on the list.  

If you experience any issues with the form, please contact the person responsible for AU’s student associations page on studerende@au.dk. You can also write to this email address to update the information stated about your association. We will contact your chair/contact person once a year to ask whether the association should remain on AU’s ‘Find your student association’ list.