What kinds of student organizations are at UI?
A graph showing the relationship between RSO categories on the Involved@Illinois website. Each blue circle represents a category that RSOs are listed under on the Involved@Illinois website. The size of each circle is proportional to the number of RSOs listed in the corresponding category. Each orange line connects with two blue circles and represents RSOs that are listed under both categories of the connected circles. The thickness of each line is proportional to the number of RSOs that are listed under both categories.
August 18, 2022
With over 800 active RSOs at the University that cater to a diverse number of subjects and interests, figuring out what they are all about and which ones to join can be daunting.
On the Involved@Illinois website, which lists all of the student organizations on campus, each organization can choose several categories that best describe what the organization is about.
Academic and Pre-Professional RSOs
Of all the categories, the largest is the “Academic, Honorary & Pre-Professional” category.
Out of the roughly 850 currently active RSOs, a plurality of them, around 360, advertise themselves as being academic or professional in nature.
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Most of these RSOs are centered around a specific career or academic discipline.
Unsurprisingly, these organizations have a significant overlap with the “Graduate & Professional” category, with most of the RSOs in that category also listed in the “Academic, Honorary & Pre-Professional” category.
Service and Philanthropy RSOs
Around 200 organizations are listed under the “Service & Philanthropy” on the Involved@Illinois website.
These RSOs generally consist of volunteer groups as well as other clubs that have a service or advocacy component.
The organizations in this category tend to come from all across the spectrum, although they share a strong overlap with RSOs in the “Academic, Honorary & Pre-Professional” and “General Social” categories.
Cultural RSOs
Of the 800-plus RSOs at the University, a little over 160 of them are listed in the “Cultural” category.
Overlapping significantly with the “International” category, these RSOs cater to students from different backgrounds and also promote engagement with the various cultures at the University.
Arts and Creative RSOs
With a little under 140 organizations listed in this category, the common theme here is pretty self explanatory — they all have a focus related to art and creativity.
Still, many RSOs in this category overlap with the “Cultural” category, especially those that focus on specific cultural art forms.
General Social RSOs
While around 200 RSOs are listed under it, this category tends to act as a sort of ‘catch-all’ for clubs with a social component. Still, it’s helpful when looking for RSOs to join for socializing.
