10 Best College Clubs in the World (2026): What They Do and How to Join

✦ Summary

The clubs below are a curated list, not an official ranking. They stand out for reputation, real student impact and strong industry or alumni links: the Oxford Union, the Cambridge Union, the MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club, Harvard National Model UN, START Global, the Bocconi Students Investment Club, the NUS Entrepreneurship Society, Delft Hyperloop, AIESEC and Enactus. Most are open to students of their own university, a few (like HNMUN and AIESEC) accept students from other institutions, and some select members through applications or interviews. Check each club’s own page for current rules and fees.

Phanindra Munnamgi

8 min read • Oct 13, 2026

The 10 Clubs at a Glance

Club	Where	Focus	Fact to know	Source
Oxford Union	Oxford, UK	Debating and speakers	Founded 1823; Life, Permanent, Access, Termly and Yearly memberships	Oxford Union
Cambridge Union	Cambridge, UK	Debating and speakers	Founded 13 February 1815; student-led registered charity	Cambridge Union
MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club	Cambridge, USA	Startups	MIT Sloan student group linked to the MIT $100K ecosystem	MIT Sloan
Harvard National Model UN	Boston, USA	Diplomacy simulation	Over 2,000 participants from 30+ countries; 72nd session in 2027	HNMUN
START Global	St. Gallen, Switzerland	Startups and events	Student initiative at HSG; START Summit drew 7,000+ attendees in 2026	START Global
Bocconi Students Investment Club	Milan, Italy	Finance and markets	Publishes Markets, Corporate Finance and Quant research	BSIC
NUS Entrepreneurship Society	Singapore	Startups and events	Organises UNICON, a student-led entrepreneurship and tech conference	Vulcan Post
Delft Hyperloop	Delft, Netherlands	Engineering project	Won the top prize at the 2017 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition	The Engineer
AIESEC	Global, local chapters	Leadership and exchange	Founded 1948; run by students and recent graduates	AIESEC
Enactus	Global, local teams	Social entrepreneurship	Founded 1975 as SIFE; renamed Enactus in 2012	Enactus

Facts come from each organisation’s own pages where available. Membership counts and event sizes change every year, so check the latest numbers before you quote them.

How We Picked These Clubs

We looked at four things: global reputation, measurable student impact, alumni or industry connections, and the skills a member can show on a CV. The list mixes debating societies, startup clubs, finance clubs, engineering teams and global student organisations on purpose, because the best club depends on your goal. The order is editorial, not a popularity score.

Also Read: Hackathons for study abroad aspirants

1. The Oxford Union (University of Oxford, UK)

The Oxford Union Society was founded in 1823 and describes itself as having hosted leaders in politics, business, sport and the arts, with past speakers including Tom Hanks, Shirin Ebadi, Conan O’Brien and Queen Elizabeth II (Oxford Union). Past presidents include William Gladstone and Boris Johnson.

Best for: debating, public speaking and meeting high-profile speakers.
How to join: membership options are Life, Permanent, Access, Termly and Yearly; the Union’s page does not list the fees, so check the current prices on its site.

2. The Cambridge Union Society (University of Cambridge, UK)

The Cambridge Union was founded on 13 February 1815 and is a student-led registered charity that runs weekly debates and talks with public figures, plus school and university debating competitions. It states that it has about 70,000 members worldwide (Cambridge Union). Its history page lists John Maynard Keynes as president in 1905 and speakers such as Winston Churchill (1920), Ronald Reagan (1990) and the 14th Dalai Lama (1993) (history of the Union).

Best for: debating, speaking and networking with visiting speakers.
How to join: memberships are sold through its membership page or at reception; fees are not listed on its About page, so confirm on cus.org.

3. MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club (MIT, USA)

The MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club is a student group at MIT Sloan School of Management that aims to “reignite the spirit of entrepreneurship” across the Sloan community (MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club). Many aspiring founders at MIT also use the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, a series of contests running from September to May (Pitch, Accelerate and Launch) that awards over $300,000 in non-dilutive funding each year (MIT Technology Licensing Office).

Best for: MBA and graduate students who want to start a company.
How to join: use the Join link on the club page; it is a Sloan student group, so check eligibility for your programme.

Also Read: Best universities for MBA in the USA

4. Harvard National Model United Nations, HNMUN (Harvard, USA)

HNMUN says it draws over 2,000 participants from colleges across the United States and from over 30 countries. The 2027 conference is its 72nd annual session, held in person at Harvard’s Boston campus from 11 to 14 February 2027, and both Model UN veterans and novices are welcome (HNMUN).

Best for: students who enjoy diplomacy, negotiation and research.
How to join: delegates are college and university students; register through your delegation or the HNMUN site, and check current fees there.

5. START Global (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)

START Global is a student initiative at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) that organises the START Summit. The 2026 edition took place on 19 and 20 March in St. Gallen and reported 7,000+ attendees, 1,500+ startups and 1,000+ investors (START Global). START’s own site gives 1996 as its founding year.

Best for: event management, sponsorship, marketing and startup networks.
How to join: team roles are typically filled by HSG students; watch the START Global site for recruitment announcements.

6. Bocconi Students Investment Club, BSIC (Bocconi University, Italy)

BSIC is a student association at Bocconi University in Milan that publishes finance articles in three areas (Markets, Corporate Finance and Quant), produces a weekly digest called BSIC Weekly and runs member and alumni communities (BSIC).

Best for: students targeting careers in investing, banking or quantitative finance.
How to join: applications follow published deadlines on its Join Us page; check the page for the current selection steps.

Also Read: How to build a strong resume for masters applications

7. NUS Entrepreneurship Society, NES (National University of Singapore)

NES is the student society behind UNICON, a student-led entrepreneurship and technology conference held at the National University of Singapore (Vulcan Post). The NUS startup ecosystem also includes NUS Enterprise, which runs programmes such as NUS Overseas Colleges and the BLOCK71 and Hangar spaces.

Best for: students who want startup events, conferences and a founder network.
How to join: NES is a student society at NUS, so check its channels for membership and committee openings.

8. Delft Hyperloop (TU Delft, Netherlands)

Delft Hyperloop is a student team at TU Delft that builds a hyperloop pod. At the 2017 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, TU Delft won the top prize and the construction and design award; the pod recorded 90 km/h during the competition (The Engineer).

Best for: engineering students who want hands-on project, design and testing experience.
How to join: student teams like this recruit once a year; check the team’s site for the current selection process and required skills.

9. AIESEC (Global)

AIESEC was founded in 1948 in seven countries and territories in Europe and describes itself as a non-political, independent, not-for-profit organisation run by students and recent graduates. It holds consultative status with ECOSOC and says it has engaged over 1,000,000 young people through an AIESEC experience (AIESEC).

Best for: leadership practice, volunteering abroad and cross-cultural exposure.
How to join: check whether your university or city has a local chapter and follow its recruitment cycle.

10. Enactus (Global)

Enactus began in 1975 in the United States as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and was renamed Enactus in October 2012. In 2021 it reported 1,730 teams at colleges and universities in 35 countries, with about 500,000 students (Enactus overview). Student teams build social-impact projects and compete nationally for a place at the Enactus World Cup.

Best for: social entrepreneurship and sustainable business projects.
How to join: join your university’s Enactus team if one exists; check Enactus Global for the current status of your country’s programme.

How to Choose and Join the Right Club as an Indian Student

Start with your goal: speaking and networking (the two Unions), startups (MIT, START, NES), finance (BSIC), engineering projects (Delft Hyperloop) or leadership and service (AIESEC, Enactus).
Check eligibility early: some clubs only take students of their own university, so shortlist your university first and then look at its clubs.
Attend the club fair: most universities hold a student activities fair in the first weeks of term, so plan to sign up for two or three clubs and drop the ones that do not fit.
Prepare a short pitch: competitive clubs ask for a CV, a short statement and sometimes an interview; keep examples of projects and leadership ready.
Balance your time: one-year programmes leave less time, so choose one main club and one lighter one.

Strong club activity also supports your applications and later job searches. For application writing, see how to write a professional LOR for study abroad and 10 tips to make your SOP stand out.

Planning to study abroad? Use GradRight University Selection to shortlist universities by course, budget and campus life, and compare funding on the GradRight education loans page. Our mostly digital process connects you with 18+ lenders.

Tags:

Student Life

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best college clubs in the world?

There is no single official ranking. Clubs often named for reputation and impact include the Oxford Union, the Cambridge Union, the MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club, Harvard National Model UN, START Global, the Bocconi Students Investment Club, the NUS Entrepreneurship Society, Delft Hyperloop, AIESEC and Enactus.

Which college clubs are best for entrepreneurship?

The MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Club with the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, START Global at the University of St. Gallen and the NUS Entrepreneurship Society are well known. Enactus focuses on social entrepreneurship.

Can anyone join the Oxford Union or the Cambridge Union?

Both offer paid memberships, but eligibility and prices change. The Oxford Union lists Life, Permanent, Access, Termly and Yearly options, and the Cambridge Union sells memberships through its membership page or at reception. Confirm current rules on each website.

Do clubs help with jobs and applications?

They can: clubs give you projects, leadership roles and contacts you can describe in a CV, SOP or interview. The benefit depends on your role and what you actually delivered, not on membership alone.

How do I join a club at a foreign university?

Choose your university first, then check its student activities page and club fair in the first weeks of term. Competitive clubs may ask for a CV, a short statement or an interview.