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Annual Requirements for 2026-27

To avoid any interruption to Registered Student Organization (RSO) privileges, including access to SOFO, all registered student organizations must complete the process below.

PHASE 1: Open from mid-April through May 4, 2026

  1. Submit the annual registration form on 'Cats on Campus. This is due by Monday, May 4 at 11:59pm CT.
    • This form should be submitted by the incoming president or treasurer of your organization for the 2026-27 academic year. This form is only submitted once by one student on behalf of the group.
    • Log into ’Cats on Campus and search for your group. At the top of the screen, a blue bar will appear that says “Group Re-Registration.” Click on this button to get started. You may save the form and come back to it at any point before Monday, May 4 at 11:59pm CT.
    • Primary components of the annual registration form:
      • University Agreement
      • SOFO Account User Information
      • Advisor Acknowledgement Form
      • Updating ’Cats on Campus Roster
      • Barrier-Free Questions
      • Leadership Transition & Org Fair Categorization
      • Constitution Submission
      • Assigning Required Trainings
    • Here is a list of organizations who have completed the 2026-27 re-registration form on 'Cats on Campus.

PLEASE NOTE: You may NOT serve as president or treasurer of an organization if you will be studying abroad or pursuing another permanent, off-campus commitment (like being out of town for the Journalism Residency program) during the fall 2026 quarter, winter 2027 quarter, or spring 2027 quarter of your leadership term.

PHASE 2: Open From May 5, 2026 - June 5, 2026

  1. Complete all required trainings in a track on ’Cats on Campus. In the annual registration form, there is a place to list which student leaders should be assigned to the required trainings. Two of the students are required to be those listed as president and treasurer, and the third student is an officer of your choosing.
    • The five themes across the training tracks are event planning, funding & budgeting, general administration, marketing & communications, and recruitment.
    • Adding students to the training tracks is a manual process, so it does not happen automatically when the annual registration form is submitted.

Information about these requirements is sent via SOA's Weekly Newsletter to student group officers listed on 'Cats on Campus. Make sure your group doesn't miss out on important communication and deadlines by visiting your organization's page on 'Cats on Campus, reviewing the roster, and making sure the contact info on your officer roster is accurate and up-to-date.

 

Other components of annual requirements

Beyond the SOA annual requirements listed above, specific RSOs may have additional items to complete to prepare for the new year.

Registered student organizations (RSO's) who have a presence in the 'Cats on Campus platform and Greek letter organizations who are part of the four social councils (IFC, MGC, NPHC, and PHA) are expected to complete this process for 2026-27. 

Annual registration for the 2026-27 academic year will launch in mid-April of 2026. Groups who fail to complete the annual requirements in full may have future campus reservations cancelled, SOFO account frozen, eligibility to participate in the organization fairs withheld, and 'Cats on Campus page hidden. 

Registration and annual requirements approval provides RSO officers with access to the following privileges:

  • Group page on 'Cats on Campus
  • Reserve space at Norris and Satellite Venues (Cahn, Ryan Auditorium, Shanley) at the lowest unit rate available: typically free
  • Applying for office or storage space in Norris
  • Reserve classroom space via the Registrar’s Office online platform
  • Obtain/maintain Northwestern Plan-It Purple events calendar
  • Access SOFO account
  • Reserve a table for the Fall/Winter/Spring Student Organization Fairs
  • Reserve outdoor marketing space
  • Applying to Campus Life/Student Organizations & Activities grants
  • Applying for ASG funding
  • Applying for McCormick funding (McCormick sponsored groups)

If an organization fails to meet annual requirements or is non-compliant with other campus policies, the organization status may be set to 'frozen.'

Frozen RSOs forfeit access to assets in the group's SOFO account, the ability to reserve space on campus at the RSO rate, and inclusion in the 'Cats on Campus groups directory.

If your organization is frozen and seeking to return to active status, email: studentorgs@northwestern.edu to learn what actions will be necessary for this process.