Sudent Organization Name

Student Organization Name

Harvard is comprised of twelve schools, hundreds of departments, offices, and centers, and thousands of students, faculty, and staff. Therefore, a student organization's name must accurately and clearly represent its relationship with the University. This helps avoid confusion and misinterpretation regarding an organization's University affiliation.

The names of all newly formed student organizations, as well as any student organizations that are requesting permission to change their name, must meet the following criteria if they wish to include the word "Harvard" in their name:

  • Include either (a) Harvard Undergraduate or (b) Harvard College and Student(s)
  • If a group chooses not to use the word Harvard in their group name, they will not be bound by the Undergraduate/College Student naming convention. These groups will also not be permitted to use ANY Harvard trademarks, including the Harvard name and insignia, in any context. This must be made clear in their constitution.
  • Accurately represents the purpose of the organization
  • Organizations that are affiliated with larger, national organizations must articulate that affiliation in the organization name (e.g., "Chapter," "Friends of")
  • The name must accurately and clearly represent the organization's association with the school
  • Cannot include Fund, Institute, Academy, or Center or other such words as these imply that the organization is an official activity of the University

All student organization names must be reviewed and approved by the Student Engagement Team. If the student organization name includes the word "Harvard," it must also be reviewed and approved by the Harvard Trademark Program.

Acceptable Forms of an Organization Name

Student organizations may refer to their organizations in three different ways: the Official Organization Name, the Abbreviated Organization Name, and the Official Acronym. Please review the chart below to understand the differences between the three names and when each should be used:

  • Description

    Official Organization Name: Full and complete organization name

    Abbreviated Organization Name:  Must drop "Harvard," "Harvard Undergraduate," or "Harvard College," and must not contain "Harvard" in any form

    Official Acronym:  Complete acronym for the Official Organization Name or the Abbreviated Organization Name. May not be a hybrid of the Harvard name (spelled out) plus an acronym

  • Example 1

    Official Organization Name: Harvard Undergraduate Journalism Club

    Abbreviated Organization Name:  Journalism Club. Not acceptable: Harvard Journalism Club

    Official Acronym:  HUJC or JC. Not acceptable: Harvard College SJC, Harvard CSJC, Harvard UJC, Harvard JC

  • Example 2

    Official Organization Name: Association of Harvard College Baking Students

    Abbreviated Organization Name:  Association of Baking Students or Baking Association. Not acceptable: Association of Harvard Baking Students, Harvard Baking Association

    Official Acronym:  AHCBS or ABS or BA. Not acceptable: Harvard BA, Harvard ABS

  • When to Use

    Official Organization Name: Should always be used when representing the organization to the broader Harvard Community and the general public

    Abbreviated Organization Name:  Only appropriate for use within the context of the College, where there is some familiarity with the group. May be used as a subsequent reference after the use of the Official Organization Name. Often used by the DSO for organizational listings, such as the Involvement Fair, and in Roombook/EMS

    Official Acronym:  Only appropriate for use within the context of the College, where there is some familiarity with the group. May be used as a subsequent reference after the use of the Official Organization Name

Use of Organization’s Name

A student organization's name must be represented accurately, consistently, and in accord with these guidelines in all uses and contexts. Below, we have offered guidelines on common uses of the organization's name.

Student organizations may ONLY represent their group using one of the three acceptable forms of the approved name ("Acceptable Forms of an Organizations Name") and may ONLY use the appropriate logo or Harvard shield ("Logos and the Harvard College Shield")

Questions on usage should be addressed to the Student Engagement Team or the Harvard Trademark Program.

Changing an Organization's Name

Changes to an approved student organization name should be an infrequent and thoughtful exercise. All changes require approval from the Student Engagement Team and the Harvard Trademark Program.

When an organization changes its name, the new name must follow the College's most recent trademark policy on naming student organizations. It cannot retain any naming conventions that may have predated current naming conventions, but which are inconsistent with current policy.

An organization may be required to notify the IRS or create a new Harvard Federal Credit Union account to maintain accurate and consistent records.

The opportunity to request an organization name change occurs once a year in the first few weeks of the Fall semester. Please complete and submit the Student Organization Name Change Request Form located on SOCO.