Table of Contents
Are you ready to register your social event? That depends! Click through the tabs below to answer key questions before you submit your registration for review.
What type of social event would we like to host? What’s the purpose of our event? What would we like your community to get out of the event?
- Will alcohol be served at this event, or will it be a dry event? Dry events for which students can reserve space on campus are not required to register through University Life (e.g., organizational meetings, grab-n-go events, etc.). A dry social event taking place at an off-campus residence should submit a Dry Events form.
- Is there a theme? Themes that could be interpreted as cultural appropriation and/or cause harm to specific groups/identities will not be tolerated.
- What kinds of activities would guests enjoy doing?
I am tab #2 content. Click edit button to change this text. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman.
I am tab #3 content. Click edit button to change this text. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense.
I am tab #3 content. Click edit button to change this text. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense.
I am tab #3 content. Click edit button to change this text. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense.
Registering Events with Alcohol
All members of the Penn student community—undergraduate, graduate, or professional—are expected to follow University policies and local, state, and federal laws always. These expectations extend to social events you may host, whether in on-campus spaces (such as fraternity houses or Houston Hall), off-campus residences, or third-party venues (such as restaurants).
All student organizations are required to register social events with alcohol, regardless of where the event will be held. Student group leaders should submit their registration form by the specified deadline and await response from University Life and/or an advisor (if applicable). Student groups should not publicize their event until they have received formal confirmation from staff.
Registering Events without Alcohol
Student organizations wishing to hold social events without alcohol should submit a registration for a dry event. This process does not apply to dry events for which student groups have already reserved space on campus (e.g., for meetings, speakers, grab-n-go events). Ultimately, registering social events without alcohol helps our Event Observer team and Penn Police differentiate between events on the weekends and assist hosts in maintaining a dry environment.
Costs Associated with Hosting Social Events
To help students manage risk, University Life provides professional bartending and security services at social events happening on or near campus that have been registered by undergraduate and graduate/professional student groups. Costs for these services are automatically subsidized for up to four (4) events per semester per student group. Only after those four events are student groups are responsible for the costs of bartender(s) and security. Staffing a registered event with alcohol can range in cost from approximately $500 – $850 (some events could cost less; others might cost more). This depends upon various factors such as the length of the event, the time of day, the number of staff, etc.
For events at third-party venues, student groups are responsible for any costs agreed upon with venue. Regardless of event location, student groups must also provide food and non-alcoholic beverages for their guests. Per the University AOD policy, at any event at which alcohol will be served, sufficient quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and food must be available to guests without cost.
Submit Your Registration Form
The final days to host registered social events for the undergraduate student community are April 23-25, with the exception of events at third-party venues which can take place on Wednesday, April 29 (last day of classes). For the graduate/professional student community, May 1-3 is the final day to host registered social events during the Spring 2026 semester.
OFSL RECOGNIZED FRATERNITIES/SORORITIES hosting during alumni weekend this year need to register via the Community Care registration form AND the OFSL application provided to them by their OFSL advisor.*
The registration and application are all due by April 29, 2026 11:59 pm.
*When applicable, registration deadlines/opening and closing dates set forth by other key stakeholders such as a group’s advisor or coach supersede those outlined here (see the stakeholders tab of the Policies & guidelines section).
There is one registration form for all event types. Please click the button below to get started.
Groups should submit their registration for an event with alcohol at least 10 business days prior to the event date. For dry social events, registration should be submitted at least 5 business days before the event date.