Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM)

What Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM) does

Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM) is a non-profit student federation founded in 1976 that represents and serves students at Université de Montréal — the largest French-language university in North America. Operating from Montréal, Québec, FAÉCUM coordinates 30+ member student associations and delivers a portfolio of services including the Bureau des droits étudiants (BDE) academic rights defense program (created October 2022), ALUMO-administered collective health and dental insurance covering approximately 25,000 students, the Halte-garderie Le Baluchon on-campus daycare for parent-students, used book kiosks (KLU), sports and event equipment lending, scholarships and bursaries, and a well-being program. The federation also runs advocacy campaigns on mental health ('Ça va aller', 'Tout le monde a des bas'), sexual violence prevention ('Sans oui, c'est non!' — which informed Quebec legislation), paid internships, student housing, and voter mobilization across federal, provincial, and municipal elections.

FAÉCUM's business model is funded primarily through student membership fees (cotisation de base) set at $13 per fall/winter session and $12.75 per summer session — the lowest among Quebec campus federations and unchanged since 2013 — supplemented by separate collective insurance premiums and service-counter revenues. The federation operates across six locations including the main Montréal campus, Campus MIL, Laval, Saint-Hyacinthe, Longueuil, and Mauricie, with a 48-person staff. Distribution combines on-campus physical counters, a member-association network segmented by faculty, a self-serve website (faecum.qc.ca), and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

The organization is governed democratically through a conseil central, congrès général, and sub-committees, and coordinates advocacy at provincial (Union étudiante du Québec), national (Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, 36 members), and institutional (UdeM administration, CSCP, Bureau du respect de la personne) levels. An active 2024 referendum proposed fee increases to fund expanded housing advocacy, research support, and permanent BDE operations, while an ongoing dispute with UdeM over collective insurance data consent represents the most material operational risk currently disclosed.

Name

Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM)

Legal name

Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM)

Website

https://faecum.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FAÉCUM is a non-profit student federation serving approximately 25,000 Université de Montréal students via 30+ member associations, delivering collective insurance, academic rights defense, daycare, advocacy campaigns, and on-campus services funded by per-session membership fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Membership Fees (Cotisation de base): FAÉCUM's primary revenue source is student membership fees. Currently $13 per fall and winter session, and $12.75 per summer session. The organization states this is the lowest student membership fee among campus student associations in Quebec. This has been the main source of revenue since 2013.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FAÉCUM is a non-profit student federation representing 30+ member student associations at the Université de Montréal campus. It administers collective student insurance (ALUMO) covering ~25,000 students, provides student rights defense (BDE), operates an on-campus daycare, used book exchange kiosks, scholarships and grants, equipment rentals, and runs advocacy campaigns on student issues including mental health, sexual violence prevention, and housing.

Product overview

FAÉCUM operates as a student federation serving the Université de Montréal campus, offering a portfolio of core services including the Bureau des droits étudiants (BDE) for academic rights defense, Assurances ALUMO group insurance, Halte-garderie Le Baluchon daycare, used book kiosks, scholarships and grants programs, and various student association support services. The federation also conducts advocacy campaigns on issues including mental health (Tout le monde a des bas, Ça va aller), sexual violence prevention (Sans oui c'est non!), student rights (#OmertàUdeM), paid internships (Au front pour la rémunération), and voter engagement across federal, provincial, and municipal elections. The organization provides extensive documentation and resources for student associations, including guides, templates, and training materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assurances ALUMO

Quantifiable outcome

• $4.5 million in savings for the student community in 2022-2023 through collective insurance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM works closely with UEQ, the provincial student union, on provincial advocacy campaigns including the 2023 'Au front pour la rémunération' campaign for internship compensation, mental health initiatives, and student rights issues. This is a core partnership for coordinating student advocacy at the provincial level.
• Alliance canadienne des associations étudiantes (CASA | ACAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM participates in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, a national coalition of 36 student associations across Canada, for federal election engagement and national student advocacy including the 'Sortons Voter' campaign to increase student voter participation.
• Services à la vie étudiante (UdeM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM collaborates with UdeM's Student Life Services on joint initiatives including the 'Tout le monde a des bas' mental health campaign, student welcome activities, and the Illustre research competition. Services include co-administering the PIÉ student initiative grants.
• Centre de santé et de consultation psychologique (CSCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM partnered with UdeM's psychological health center to conduct the 2015-2016 'Ça va?' mental health survey (10,000+ respondents) and launched the 'Ça va aller' mental health awareness campaign in 2019.
• ALUMO AssurancescoreOthersFAÉCUM administers collective student insurance through ALUMO, which provides health, dental, and psychological care coverage to approximately 25,000 students annually, generating $4.5 million in savings for the student community.
• Université de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM has an ongoing relationship with UdeM administration for collective insurance management, student rights (BDE), campus services, and governance representation. Currently in conflict over insurance administration requiring explicit consent for data transfer.
• Bureau du respect de la personne (UdeM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM co-founded the 'Sans oui, c'est non!' campaign with UdeM's Bureau du respect de la personne (formerly Bureau d'intervention en matière de harcèlement) in 2014-2016 to prevent sexual violence on campus. This national campaign influenced Quebec legislation requiring universities to adopt sexual violence prevention policies.
• Association générale des étudiants et étudiantes de la Faculté de l'éducation permanente (AGEEFEP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAÉCUM partnered with AGEEFEP on the 'Tout le monde a des bas' mental health campaign targeting continuing education students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ): UEQ is the provincial student federation that FAÉCUM itself co-leads. As the broader coalition aggregating Quebec campus federations, it operates one layer above FAÉCUM on provincial advocacy campaigns like 'Au front pour la rémunération'.
• Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA | ACAE): CASA is the national coalition of 36 Canadian student associations in which FAÉCUM participates. It operates national-level federal advocacy (e.g., 'Sortons Voter') and is the broader incumbent peer to FAÉCUM's federal advocacy work.

Direct peers

• FICSUM (Fédération des étudiantes et étudiants des cycles supérieurs de l'Université de Montréal, en collaboration): FICSUM, referenced on FAÉCUM's own website, coordinates graduate-student activities at UdeM and runs adjacent services such as rédaction matinées. It functions as a parallel graduate-level federation on FAÉCUM's campus with overlapping service portfolio.
• AGEPoly (Association générale des étudiants de Polytechnique Montréal): AGEPoly represents students at Polytechnique Montréal — a constituent institution of the Université de Montréal system. It runs an overlapping advocacy, services, and representation model for a specialized student population sharing the broader UdeM campus ecosystem.
• SSMU (Students' Society of McGill University): SSMU is the largest undergraduate student society at McGill University, also based in Montreal. It delivers a comparable portfolio of advocacy, services, and student representation at a competing Quebec/Montreal university, making it a direct functional peer.
• Concordia Student Union: Concordia Student Union represents the student body at Concordia University, the third major Montreal university. It offers the same combination of advocacy campaigns, services, and student representation in overlapping Montreal higher-education space.
• REMDUS (Regroupement étudiant du Module des sciences sociales de l'UQAM): REMDUS is a UQAM student federation delivering collective services, advocacy, and representation to a Quebec urban university student population — the same core functions FAÉCUM provides at UdeM, with comparable scale and Quebec-specific operating context.
• GSA-UdeM (Graduate Students' Association of Université de Montréal): GSA-UdeM represents graduate students specifically at Université de Montréal, serving as a parallel, segment-focused student federation within the same campus. It mirrors FAÉCUM's service-and-advocacy structure for a subset of the same student body.
• AÉLIES (Association des étudiantes et étudiants de l'Université de Sherbrooke): AÉLIES is the student federation at Université de Sherbrooke, another major French-language Quebec university. It mirrors FAÉCUM's combination of collective services, political advocacy, and student-association coordination.
• CADEUL (Comité d'action de l'Université Laval): CADEUL is the analogous campus student federation at Université Laval, another large French-language Quebec university. It operates the same representative, advocacy, and collective-service model for Laval students, making it the closest structural peer to FAÉCUM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FAECUM
• Facebookfacebook.com/FAECUM
• Instagraminstagram.com/faecum/?hl=fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faecum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAÉCUM)