Student Involvement

The mission of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) is to serve the collective interests of graduate and professional students at UCSF in order to improve student life on a university and system wide level through dialogue, action, and activities between students, faculty, and staff. The GPSA shall serve as an open forum to discuss graduate and professional student concerns and University policy, to inform its constituents, to advocate student interests, to foster relationships between all academic programs, to strengthen connections to better support students, to initiate actions and proposals, and to serve as the voice of students. The GPSA shall also provide services and activities to enhance the quality of student life, educational experiences, and academic benefits for its graduate and professional student members. Student Life helps guide the GPSA through:

• Organization advisement 
• Leadership development
• Program logistics
• Student initiated advocacy support
• Marketing and website assistance
• Meeting support
• Budget advisement
• General administrative support

Vist the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) website to learn more.

Registered Campus Organizations (RCOs) are a very important part of campus life. There are more than 170 RCOs at UCSF, covering a broad range of interests including educational, social, cultural, artistic, recreational, political, and spiritual focuses. These organizations combine to sponsor over 2,000 diverse and exciting activities each year. Consider joining or forming an RCO as a great investment of your out-of-classroom time. Through the years, thousands of UCSF students have made lifetime friends and have created a deeper sense of community in just this way.

View list of current RCOs.

Learn more about:

• RCO Registration
• RCO Events
• RCO Funding
• RCO Fundraising Activity
• RCO Community Education and Health Fair Participation
• Implementing Regulations on Activities, Registered Campus Organizations, and Use of Properties

Each year, students, staff, faculty, or advisors may nominate a RCOs or a student for the Student Organization Awards. The Student Organization Awards celebrates the accomplishments of our Registered Campus Organizations (RCOs) for their contributions to campus life at UCSF and beyond. RCO members, leaders, and advisors play a valuable role on campus, and we invite you to take this opportunity to recognize outstanding leadership and achievements by submitting a nomination.

Synapse is the UCSF student newspaper, published on Tuesdays during the academic year. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. 

Visit Synapse: UCSF Student Voices to learn more.

What Does a Student Regent Do?

As one of 26 members of the Board of Regents, the Student Regent represents the needs of one of the most important stakeholder groups students as well as the interests of the entire UC community and the people of California.

Does a Student Regent get paid?

Student Regents receive payment for two years of tuition. They also receive a complete working staff, free parking on any UC campus and reimbursement for travel expenses for any regent tours or meetings.

How do I apply?

The online application for the 2024-25 Student Regent closes on March 12, 2023. Watch your email (or this space) for the next application cycle. Students currently enrolled at a UC campus are encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit a completed and signed application, a current resume, and an essay as described on the application form. Materials should be emailed to Regents Analyst Clare Sheridan at [email protected] AND also to the applicant's campus Student Regent coordinator Jennifer Rosko at [email protected].

What happens during the recruitment process?

The UC Office of the Secretary and the Chief of Staff revise and distribute a new application each year for the regent recruitment process that usually begins in January.

Each application for student Regent will be reviewed in April  by a nominating commission of ten students selected by the presidents of the campus student governments. A separate committee comprising ten representatives of the undergraduate student association and ten representatives of the graduate student association will interview the candidates identified by the nominating commission. These candidates will be interviewed in May 2023. References named by the applicants will be asked to submit letters of reference prior to the interview.

The interview commission will select three to four finalists whose names are forwarded to the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents. The finalists’ Chancellors will be contacted to comment on their qualifications.

Three finalists are interviewed in May by the Regents' Special Committee. The Special Committee submits its nominee to the Board of Regents no later than The Regents' July meeting, at which time the Student Regent is appointed. That person immediately begins serving as Student Regent-designate and is invited to participate in deliberations of The Regents but without a vote. The following July, the Student Regent begins his or her term as a voting member of the Board!