Concordia Student Union

What Concordia Student Union does

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) is the official, student-governed organization representing undergraduate students at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. It operates autonomously from the university's administration and academic bodies, and holds formal representation on the University Senate and Board of Governors. The CSU's mandate spans direct service delivery — including the Advocacy Centre, Housing and Job Resource Centre (HOJO), Legal Information Clinic, Daycare & Nursery, Recovery and Wellness Community Centre (RAWCC), Hive Free Meals, CSU Spaces venue booking, and CSU Insurance / health and dental plan administration — as well as funding administration for clubs, campaigns, and fee levy groups, and convening of student life programming.

The CSU does not operate a proprietary technology platform. Its product portfolio is structured as a collection of distinct service programs rather than a unified software product, delivered through on-campus offices at the SGW (Hall Building, 7th floor) and Loyola (CC-426) campuses, supplemented by email, social media, and a front desk. The technology stack visible from the data is limited to a WordPress-based public website, standard social media profiles, Microsoft Forms for inquiries, and email-based operations. Underlying its scale are a network of fee levy groups (QPIRG, Center for Gender Advocacy, Sustainability Action Fund, People's Potato, Queer Concordia, CJLO, CUTV, Concordia Greenhouse, and others) and faculty associations (FASA, ASFA, CASA, ECA).

The CSU's revenue model is non-commercial: it is funded through per-credit student fee levies collected from Concordia undergraduate students, with services delivered free at point of use. Individual service fees are not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a Council of Representatives and Executive Team whose positions are held by elected students, with no external parent company or venture capital ownership. Operational scale signals include the Sustainability Action Fund's $400,000+ in cumulative project awards since 2007, the People's Potato's 400+ daily meals served, and Cinema Politica Concordia's 300–700 weekly screening attendees.

Name

Concordia Student Union

Legal name

Concordia Student Union

Website

https://csu.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Concordia Student Union is a student-governed organization representing Concordia University undergraduate students in Montreal. It delivers advocacy, legal information, daycare, free meals, housing resources, and health/dental insurance, funded by per-credit student fee levies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Union Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Affairs Administration (Conduct, Wellbeing, Support Oversight) (EDADAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

Keywords

• Student advocacy services
• Student union representation
• Student legal clinic
• Student housing support
• Student health insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Concordia Student Union provides student services and representation to undergraduate students at Concordia University, including advocacy, legal information, housing and job resources, daycare, free meals, health and dental insurance, venue booking, and funding for student groups. It also administers student representation in university governance through the Senate and Board of Governors.

Product overview

Concordia Student Union (CSU) is a student union representing undergraduate students at Concordia University. It offers a portfolio of student services organized as a collection of distinct programs rather than a unified technology product. Core services include the Advocacy Centre (student rights support), Housing and Job Resource Centre (HOJO), Legal Information Clinic, Daycare & Nursery, Recovery and Wellness Community Centre, CSU Spaces (venue bookings), Hive Free Meals on Loyola Campus, Health and Dental Plan, and CSU Insurance. Additional offerings include funding services (bursaries, emergency food fund, special clubs funding), student projects (Reggie's Bar, Hive Café Solidarity Co-op, UTILE Student Housing), advocacy campaigns, and support for student groups and fee levy organizations. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hive Free Meals: Free meal service offering weekday lunches during the school year at Loyola campus.
• Advocacy Centre
• Housing and Job Resource Centre (HOJO)
• Legal Information Clinic
• RAWCC
• Daycare & Nursery
• CSU Insurance
• CSU Spaces

Products and services

• Advocacy Centre Promotes and preserves student rights and academic interests, providing support for filing complaints and navigating university policies. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• Daycare & Nursery Provides student families with high-quality, not-for-profit daycare service. For Concordia students with children.
• Housing and Job Resource Centre (HOJO) Resource centre for housing issues and workers' rights, helping students navigate off-campus housing and employment concerns. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• Legal Information Clinic Offers legal information and referrals to undergraduate students. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• Recovery and Wellness Community Centre (RAWCC) Provides wellness and recovery support services for students. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• CSU Spaces (Venue Booking) Venue booking service allowing student groups to reserve the 7th floor lounge and other spaces. For Concordia student groups and organizations.
• Hive Free Meals on Loyola Campus Offers free lunch every weekday during the school year at Loyola campus. For Concordia students.
• CSU Insurance (Health and Dental Plan) Student health and dental insurance plan covering medical and dental expenses. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• Emergency Food Fund Provides emergency food vouchers to students in need. For Concordia undergraduate students facing food insecurity.
• Posters Service Provides poster printing and distribution services for student groups. For Concordia student groups and organizations.
• Reggie's Bar Student-run bar venue operated by CSU. For Concordia students and the campus community.
• Hive Café Solidarity Co-op Solidarity co-operative café operated by students. For Concordia students and the broader community.
• UTILE Student Housing Student housing development projects including UTILE Parc La Fontaine and UTILE Saint-Patrick. For Concordia students seeking affordable off-campus housing.
• Funding Directory (Bursaries and Special Clubs Funding) Directory of funding opportunities including bursaries, special clubs funding, and external funding sources for students and student groups. For Concordia students and student organizations.
• Campaigns Advocacy campaigns on issues including tuition hikes, climate justice, consent education, and social justice. For Concordia undergraduate students.
• Sustainability Programs Environmental sustainability initiatives including Ben's Scholarship, Food Systems Reform, Menstrual Equity, and campus sustainability resources. For Concordia students.
• Library Services Fund Funding for library services and resources. For Concordia students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $400,000 awarded by the Sustainability Action Fund to sustainability projects since 2007.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fine Arts Students Alliance (FASA)coreOthers
• Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA)coreOthers
• Commerce and Administration Students' Association (CASA)coreOthers
• Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA)coreOthers
• Concordia Graduate Students Association (GSA)coreOthers
• Concordia UniversitycoreOthers
• Hive Café Solidarity Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• UTILE Student HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Reggie's BarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• QPIRG Concordia (Quebec Public Interest Research Group)coreOthers
• Center for Gender AdvocacycoreOthers
• Concordia Community Solidarity Co-operative BookstorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Art Matters FestivalminorOthers
• Cinema PoliticaminorOthers
• CJLO (Concordia University Radio)minorOthers
• Queer ConcordiacoreOthers
• CUTV (Campus/Community TV)minorOthers
• Concordia Food CoalitionminorOthers
• Concordia GreenhouseminorOthers
• Frigo VertminorOthers
• People's PotatocoreOthers
• Sustainable ConcordiaminorOthers
• Sustainability Action FundcoreOthers
• The Link NewspaperminorOthers
• Concordia Student NightlineminorOthers
• Concordia Daycare and NurserycoreOthers

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• University of Toronto Students' Union (UTSU): Undergraduate student union at the University of Toronto. Comparable model: elected student governance, fee-levy funding, broad service portfolio including advocacy, health/dental plan, legal services, and student group support. Similar scale and complexity of operations to CSU.
• Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA): Undergraduate student association at Carleton University in Ottawa. Operates with analogous fee-based funding, runs a health plan, food centre, advocacy services, clubs, and student-run businesses — closely mirroring the CSU service model.
• Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS): Student society at Simon Fraser University, fee-funded, providing advocacy, health/dental coverage, legal clinic, food bank, and student group support. Comparable in scale and service breadth to CSU.
• Association étudiante de l'UQAM (ASEQ): Student association at UQAM, another major Montreal university. Operates with a comparable fee-levy funding model and provides overlapping services including advocacy, legal clinic, food security, and student group funding — making it a strong direct peer in the same metropolitan market.
• Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver: Student society at UBC Vancouver, funded by student fees and offering advocacy, health/dental coverage, legal aid, food bank, clubs funding, and governance representation. One of the largest and most comparable student associations in Canada by scope of services.
• McGill Students' Society (MS3): Student society serving McGill University undergraduates in Montreal, offering an analogous portfolio of advocacy, clubs funding, health/dental insurance, legal aid, and governance representation. Most directly comparable peer given shared city, comparable urban university scale, and bilingual/Quebec context.
• Queen's University Alma Mater Society (AMS): Student society at Queen's University in Kingston, operating with similar fee-funded structure and offering advocacy, health/dental insurance, legal services, and student group support. Direct peer in mandate and operational model.
• Dalhousie Student Union: Student union serving Dalhousie University undergraduates in Halifax, funded through student fees and providing advocacy, health/dental plan, and student group support. Direct peer in scope and funding mechanism.
• University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU): Students' union at the University of Alberta, funded through student fees and providing a comparable suite of services including advocacy, health/dental plan, legal assistance, food bank, and student group funding. Direct peer in operational structure.
• University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU): Student union at the University of Ottawa. Directly comparable to CSU given the shared bilingual Ontario-Quebec border context, fee-levy funding model, and overlapping services (advocacy, health plan, clubs, food programs).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csumtl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC14BOYjvdSqaCoCJfede9SA
• Facebookfacebook.com/csumtl
• Instagraminstagram.com/csumtl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Concordia Student Union