Start/Reactivate a Student Chapter

Do you want to start an ACS Student chapter at your school? Read on to learn how to establish a program that will benefit your peers and support students who want to pursue a career in chemistry.

Start a Student Chapter

Here’s what you need to do to start an ACS student chapter at your school:

1. Identify a faculty member to serve as the chapter faculty advisor. Learn more about faculty advisor roles.
2. Complete a charter application form.
3. Compose a set of proposed bylaws. Bylaws set the basis for your chapter’s mission. See an example of chapter bylaws.
4. Mail your application and bylaws to:
   
   American Chemical Society
   Undergraduate Programs
   1155 16th Street NW
   Washington, D.C. 20036

Once your application is approved, ACS will grant your school a charter. A charter certificate will be mailed to your faculty advisor or the chair of the nearest ACS local section, who will present the charter to your new ACS student chapter!

Start a Bi-School Chapter

A single chapter may be formed by two or more neighboring institutions. Although only one faculty advisor is required, we recommend that there be faculty representation from both institutions. Be sure to consult your university about forming a campus-to-campus organization.

Reactivate a Student Chapter

To reinstate a student chapter (a chapter that has not submitted a chapter report for three consecutive years), you must:

1. Complete a reactivation application form and mail it to:
   
   American Chemical Society
   Undergraduate Programs
   1155 16th Street NW
   Washington, D.C. 20036
2. Request a Faculty Advisor Manual (email undergrad@acs.org or call 800-227-5558 ext. 4480 for a hard copy)

Once your reactivation application is approved, you will receive a letter confirming your active status as a Student chapter.

How to Stay Active

In order to remain active, a chapter must submit a chapter report at least once every three years. The report offers chapters the opportunity to inform ACS about your activities, voice concerns from the academic year, provide suggestions for future activities, and become eligible for a Student Chapter Award.

Tip: Appoint a member as the official record keeper for the year. This person should record and summarize all events to allow for accurate documentation in the chapter report.

Sending regular updates about your chapter is another great way to stay active. Email undergrad@acs.org or call us at call 800-227-5558 ext. with any news about new activities, elected officers, faculty advisors, or photos from special events.

Open a Chapter Bank Account

If your chapter would like to open a bank account, ACS will provide IRS form SS-4, an Employer Identification Number application, and instructions for completing the forms. Email undergrad@acs.org or call (800) 227-5558