Student Activities Fee (SAF) Awareness

Written By Nicholas Brennan

What is the Student Activities Fee?

The Student Activities Fee (SAF) is a fee charged by Harvard to students that is distributed to three groups: the Housing Committees, the College Events Board, and the Undergraduate Council. Housing Committees use SAF money, ticket revenues, and alumni donations to host formals and throw Housing Day events. The College Events Board uses SAF money to pay for College-wide events such as Crimson Jam, Yardfest, and Harvard-Yale Spirit Week. 

Why does the UC need the SAF this year? 

Approximately 80% of the UC’s SAF revenue goes directly to recognized student organizations (clubs); the remainder is spent on programs benefiting the student body at large, such as the Spring 2020 Storage and Moving Subsidy.

Why do clubs need money during a remote year?

Unlike Spring 2020, clubs are planning to be very active. This is a condensed list of some of the activities that clubs plan to do over the next year:

  • Production (performance, videos, art, publications)

  • Subscription memberships to relevant programs (video games, video calling, etc.)

  • Care packages

  • Running virtual conferences

  • Guest speakers/lecture series

  • Book Club-type of purchases 

  • Activism 

  • Tickets (buy everyone the movie/play/concert/etc)

  • Guided Wellness

  • Food

  • Traveling journal

  • Equipment

  • Website

  • Shipping/mailing costs

  • Lessons/workshops

  • Software

  • Reunions/in-person

  • Competitions

  • Masks

  • Senior gifts/sendoffs

  • Volunteering (includes phone banking, etc)

  • Certification/licensing

  • Peer review/editing

  • Curriculum development

  • Transportation

  • Merchandise

What happens when you opt-out of the SAF?


All of the clubs listed below don’t get money. This is a list of clubs that have confirmed that they need UC grant money; out of these, at least 67 are entirely dependent on the UC to operate. Note: this list is incomplete - there are other clubs that were not able to submit their budgets in time to be included here.

  • Harvard CrimsonEMS

  • Harvard Democracy Matters

  • Harvard Dharma

  • Harvard Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children

  • Harvard Global Education Movement

  • Harvard Green Medicine Initiative

  • Harvard Health Policy Review

  • Harvard Health Policy Review

  • Harvard Investment Association

  • Harvard Krav Maga

  • Harvard Men's Rugby

  • Harvard Open Data Project

  • Harvard Organization for Latin America

  • Harvard Outing. Club

  • Harvard Philippine Forum

  • Harvard Polo Club

  • Harvard Pops Orchestra

  • Harvard Premedical Society

  • Harvard PRIMUS

  • Harvard Quidditch

  • Harvard Radcliffe Asian American Christian Fellowship

  • Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club

  • Harvard Republican Club

  • Harvard Right to Life

  • Harvard Science Review

  • Harvard SEAS Engineers Without Borders

  • Harvard Society of Black Scientists and Engineers

  • Harvard Somali Student Association

  • Harvard SoulFood

  • Harvard South Asian Association

  • Harvard South Asian Women's Collective

  • Harvard Sports Analysis Collective

  • Harvard Swimming Club

  • Harvard Taekwondo Club

  • Harvard Taiwanese Cultural Society

  • Harvard Undergrad Foreign Policy Initiative (HUFPI)

  • Harvard Undergraduate Art Club

  • Harvard Undergraduate Black Premedical Society

  • Harvard Undergraduate Dominican Student Association

  • Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA)

  • Harvard Undergraduate Ethics Bowl

  • Harvard Undergraduate Filmmakers Association

  • Harvard Undergraduate Fishing Club

  • Harvard Undergraduate Global Alliance for Medical Innovation

  • Harvard Undergraduate Global Research and Consulting Group

  • Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society

  • Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club

  • Harvard Undergraduate Science Olympiad

  • Harvard Undergraduate Songwriters' Collective

  • Harvard Undergraduate South Asian Americans in Public Service

  • Harvard Undergraduate Studies in Education

  • Harvard Undergraduate Synapse Chapter

  • Harvard Undergraduate Thomas V. Sullivan Society

  • Harvard Undergraduate UNICEF Club

  • Harvard Undergraduate Voters Choose

  • Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business

  • Harvard Undergraduates for Inclusion in Economics

  • Harvard University Medical Humanities Forum

  • Harvard Ventures

  • Asian American Dance Troupe

  • Asian American Womxn's Association

  • Asian Baptist Student Koinonia

  • Asian Student Arts Project

  • ASK

  • Association of Black Harvard Women

  • Bengali Association of Students at Harvard

  • Black Community Leaders

  • Candela Latin Dance Troupe

  • Chado Society

  • Chinese Cultural Card Games Club

  • Circle of Women Harvard Chapter

  • Club Climbing

  • Crimson Dance Team

  • CSA (Catholic Students Association)

  • Early Music Society

  • Eleganza

  • Fig. Magazine

  • First Year Musical

  • Francophone Society

  • Gap Year Society

  • GIIM (Gender Inclusivity in Math)

  • Greener Scott Scholars Mentorship Program

  • Harvard Association for the Promotion of Interplanetary Expansion (HAPIE)

  • Harvard Bach Society Orchestra

  • Harvard Ballet Company

  • Harvard Ballroom Dance Team

  • Harvard Black Health Advocates

  • Harvard Black Men's Forum

  • Harvard Black Pre-Law Association (BPLA)

  • Harvard Breakers

  • Harvard Canadian Club

  • Harvard Cancer Society

  • Harvard Caribbean Club

  • Harvard Centrist Society

  • Harvard Club Golf Team/ Harvard Golf Club

  • Harvard College Anscombe Society

  • Harvard College Bowl

  • Harvard College British Club

  • Harvard College China Forum

  • Harvard College Chinese International Students Society

  • Harvard College Conservation Society

  • Harvard College Democrats

  • Harvard College Economics Review

  • Harvard College Faith and Action

  • Harvard College French Club

  • Harvard College Half Asian People's Association (HAPA)

  • Harvard College Hellenic Society

  • Harvard College Human Rights Review

  • Harvard College iGEM

  • Harvard College Impact Investing Group

  • Harvard College in Asia Program

  • Harvard College in Asia Program

  • Harvard College Italian Society

  • Harvard College Mentors for Urban Debate

  • Harvard College Musical Theater

  • Harvard College New Mexico Club

  • Harvard College Nigerian Students Association

  • Harvard College Opera (Society)

  • Harvard College Pakistani Students Association

  • Harvard College Project for Justice

  • Harvard College Running Club

  • Harvard College Students for Biden

  • Harvard College Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

  • Harvard College Studio Art Society

  • Harvard College Wireless Club

  • Harvard Vietnamese Association

  • Harvard Wind Ensemble

  • Harvard Women's Club Basketball

  • Harvard Women's Club Soccer

  • Harvard Women's Club Volleyball

  • Harvard Women's Ultimate

  • Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association

  • Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum

  • Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra

  • Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones

  • Hasty Pudding Theatricals

  • HCOPES

  • HEBitat

  • HRSFA

  • HUEJ

  • Hyperion Shakespeare Company

  • Islamic Society

  • Khmer Student Association

  • Latinas Unidas de Harvard College

  • Latino Men's Collective

  • Latinos in Health Careers

  • Latter Day Saints Student Association

  • Mariachi Veritas

  • Men's Ice Hockey Club

  • Men's Ultimate Frisbee Club

  • MIHNUET

  • Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS)

  • Model Security Council

  • Mozart Society Orchestra

  • Network of Enlightened Women at Harvard

  • On Thin Ice

  • PALABRITAS

  • Partners in Health Engage

  • PASSUS: Harvard College Step Team

  • PBHA Small Claims Advisory Service

  • Period @ Harvard College

  • Personal Finance & Consulting Group

  • Personal Finance & Consulting Group

  • Quantum Computing Association

  • Radcliffe Choral Society

  • River Charles Ensemble

  • Room 13

  • Science Club for Girls

  • Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia Association

  • Society of Arab Students

  • Society Of Harvard Undergraduate Magicians

  • Student Astronomers at Harvard-Radcliffe

  • TEATRO!

  • The Concordium

  • The Edible

  • The Fallen Angels

  • The Food Lab for Kids @ Harvard College

  • The Harvard Callbacks

  • The Harvard College Film Festival

  • The Harvard Krokodiloes

  • The Harvard Lowkeys

  • The Kuumba Singers of Harvard College

  • The Noteables

  • The Task Force for Asian American Progressive Advocacy and Studies at Harvard College (TAPAS)

  • THURJ

  • Under Construction

  • Under the Surface: The Harvard Undergraduate Mental Health Magazine

  • WHRB

  • WISHR

  • Women's Lacrosse Club

How much funding do clubs get from the UC?

During a good year, the UC is able to fund these clubs at about 50-60% of their overall need. In a year like this, until we see the total SAF revenue and receive our allocation from it, there is nothing that the UC can promise with certainty. Clubs have requested $2,175.62 each on average. 

How many people can opt out?

The UC’s portion requires 2,550 students to opt in. Once you add in HoCos and CEB at 60% of last year’s funding rate, you need approximately 4,080 students total to opt in to ensure that we have enough money. And that’s before Admin adds a new group that’s part of the Harvard Foundation into the shrinking pot of money. 

That means the maximum opt-out percentage, with approximately 6,755 undergraduate students, is ~40%, as opposed to last year’s rate of ~25%. Administration showed that 22.5% of students indicated that they aren’t taking a leave of absence. If you assume that the traditional opt-out rate is applied to the remaining students, that only leaves room ~2% increase in opting out before the UC won’t have the money it needs to fund clubs.

Nicholas Brennan
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