Quebec Student Union

What Quebec Student Union does

The Quebec Student Union (Union étudiante du Québec, QSU) is a non-profit student advocacy organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It represents 110,000 university students aggregated through 14 member student associations across the province. The QSU's operations are organized around an elected Coordination Committee (Presidency, Vice Presidency, General Secretariat, and coordinator roles for sociopolitical affairs, graduate studies, higher education, academic affairs, outreach, and mobilization) and a permanent staff of eight employees including an Administrative Director, Political Attaché/Press Officer, Communication Manager, Researcher, and Administrative Assistant.

The QSU's product surface is non-technological. It consists of advocacy campaigns on student financial assistance, mental health, research funding, tuition policy, ecological transition, and internship remuneration; pan-Quebec research studies (notably the 2018 'Behind the mask' survey with 23,881 respondents and the 2020 'Our own plan' COVID study with 1,209 respondents); the 'UEQ en Ondes' podcast; and member services including legal access through Juripop. There is no proprietary technology platform, no API, no app, and no AI/ML capability. The communications stack is a static website, email, social media, and podcast distribution.

The business model is a membership-based non-profit: revenue derives from dues paid by the 14 member student associations, supplemented by coalition activity and in-kind partner support. The organization has no external shareholders, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Strategic value to the Quebec student ecosystem is evidenced by a documented track record of policy wins, including $80M reinvested in the Loans and Bursaries program, the 2022 Act Respecting the Legal Protection of Interns, and a ~$95M mental health funding envelope secured across 2021-2022.

Name

Quebec Student Union

Legal name

Union étudiante du Québec

Website

https://unionetudiante.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Quebec Student Union is a non-profit advocacy organization representing 110,000 university students through 14 member associations in Quebec, conducting research, campaigns, and coalition work on student financial aid, mental health, internship rights, and ecological transition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Advocacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ)

Keywords

• Student advocacy services
• Policy advocacy campaigns
• Student research studies
• Educational policy research
• Student association representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and organizational operations: The QSU operates as a not-for-profit organization (OBNL). Revenue is derived through membership contributions from its 14 member student associations representing 110,000 students. The organization uses funds to advocate for student rights, conduct research, run campaigns, and provide member services including legal access through Juripop.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Quebec Student Union is a non-profit student advocacy organization that represents 110,000 members from 14 student member associations across Quebec. It provides provincial policy advocacy on higher education, student financial aid, internship remuneration, mental health, and ecological transition; conducts large-scale pan-Quebec research studies on student issues; produces the UEQ en Ondes podcast; and offers member benefits including legal services through Juripop and financial support for regional projects.

Product overview

The Quebec Student Union (QSU) is a student advocacy organization representing approximately 110,000 members from 14 student associations across Quebec. Rather than offering a technology product, QSU operates as a membership-based advocacy body providing podcast content (UEQ en Ondes), conducting research studies on student issues, and running advocacy campaigns on topics including student financial assistance, psychological health, research funding, tuition policy, ecological transition, and internship remuneration. The organization offers member benefits including legal services through Juripop, participation in surveys, and representation in governance bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UEQ en Ondes: A podcast platform where QSU explores and discusses issues affecting the student community, featuring guest speakers and specialists

Products and services

• UEQ en Ondes (UEQ on Air) A podcast platform produced by the Quebec Student Union that explores issues affecting the student community, featuring episodes on student mental health, internship rights, immigration, and sexual violence. Episodes are available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and YouTube.
• Student Research Funding Advocacy Campaign Advocacy campaign and petition initiative by the QSU advocating for increased scholarships and research funding for student researchers at Quebec universities.
• Quebec Student Union Campaigns Platform The QSU's campaigns platform consolidates advocacy campaigns covering student financial assistance, psychological health, research funding, tuition increases, ecological transition, internship remuneration, and related policy issues.
• Behind the Mask (pan-Quebec psychological health study) Pan-Quebec research study conducted in fall 2018 on the psychological health of university students in Quebec, with 23,881 respondents, producing policy recommendations and used as the foundation for mental health advocacy that later contributed to the $60 million mental health action plan.
• At the End of Your Bill (student financing and debt study) Pan-Quebec study conducted in November 2022 by the Quebec Student Union on student financing and debt in Quebec, providing data to support advocacy on student financial assistance.
• Our Own Plan (student psychological health quick study) Quick study on student psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic, conducted in fall 2020 by the QSU in collaboration with FAEUQEP, surveying 1,209 university students from 17 universities across Quebec.
• At the Front Line for Remuneration (internship remuneration campaign) Joint campaign launched in 2024 with the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) calling for all internships in the public and parapublic sector to be remunerated.
• 80 Million $ SFA Reinvestment Campaign Campaign and associated initiatives to improve the Loans and Bursaries program (Aide financière aux études / AFE) and living expense recognition for Quebec students, resulting in the highest reinvestment in the program in 15 years.
• FairShare for Student Research Campaign Campaign demanding increased investment in scholarship programs for Canada's research student population, launched on January 28, 2019, which secured $114 million over five years for research scholarships and $26.5 million in recurring federal dollars for the three federal granting agencies.
• Enough is Enough (Ecological Transition Campaign) Campaign calling for ecological transition of Quebec universities, launched by the QSU in 2024 with the message 'Enough is enough', urging universities and the government to act before it is too late.
• Interns on Sale / Financial Compensation of Internships Campaign Campaign ('Interns on Sale') demanding measures to financially compensate interns in Quebec, including advocacy that contributed to the $30 million recurring annual investment for the Intern Perseverance and Success Scholarship Program announced June 18, 2019.
• Where Is Our Money? Campaign Joint campaign launched by the QSU and FECQ following the abolition of federal tax credits for education and textbooks, asking Minister Roberge 'Where is our money?' to recover the lost financial support for students.
• Austerity Hits Higher Education Campaign Campaign in which the Quebec Student Union condemns Quebec government austerity policies, particularly budget cuts to the higher education system.
• Canada Surpasses Quebec in Research Campaign Campaign by the QSU highlighting the disparity between federal research grant evolution and stagnant research funding in Quebec.
• Tuition Increases: Outside Quebec (Petition Campaign) Petition campaign launched by the QSU on October 13, 2023 in immediate opposition to the announced significant tuition increase for Canadian students outside Quebec, collecting 33,342 signatures.
• QSU Member Services and Juripop Legal Access Member benefit package for the 14 QSU member student associations, including access to Juripop's legal services for organizational and student support, financial support for regional projects, training sessions, representation, and personalized political advice.

Quantifiable outcome

• $80 million reinvestment secured in Quebec's Loans and Bursaries program in 2016, benefiting 146,000 students with an average $462/year increase
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA-ACAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe QSU participates in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA-ACAE), a national student organization. Through this membership, QSU engages in national-level advocacy alongside student associations from across Canada on issues of shared concern.
• Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe QSU collaborates extensively with the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) on joint campaigns including 'Au front pour la rémunération' (paid internships), 'Renversons le poids de la précarité' (financial insecurity), and the $80 million SFA reinvestment campaign. They co-launch petitions, press conferences, and national assembly actions.
• Support Our SciencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe QSU works in collaboration with Support Our Science and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations on the student research funding campaign. Together they held a petition in support of student researchers that closed on November 27, 2023 with 3,400 signatures.
• JuripopmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAs a member benefit, QSU provides access to Juripop's legal services for member student associations. Juripop is a legal organization providing accessible legal services.
• Fédération des associations étudiantes universitaires québécoises en éducation permanente (FAEUQEP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe QSU collaborated with FAEUQEP on the 'Our own plan' study in fall 2020, a quick study on student psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study surveyed 1,209 university students from 17 universities across Quebec.
• Observatory on Student Mental Health in Higher Education (OSMÉES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSMÉES is a group of 270 researchers, students, and CEGEP and university staff who have joined forces to contribute to student mental health in higher education. The QSU collaborates with OSMÉES on student mental health research and policy advocacy. The podcast featured OSMÉES co-director Julie Lane and mobilization coordinator Marc-Antoine Tourville.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• National Student Federation of India (NSFI): India's national student federation, operating across a different geography but pursuing analogous advocacy on higher education funding, student welfare, and policy engagement at the national level.
• Australian Student Union (National Union of Students Australia): Australian peak student body representing students on financial aid, welfare, and higher education policy. Comparable federation structure and advocacy mission, though operating in a different national policy environment.

Emerging players

• Support Our Science: Canadian advocacy organization championing graduate student research funding. Partnered with QSU on the student research funding petition (3,400 signatures in 2023), reflecting partial overlap on the research-funding advocacy niche.
• Observatory on Student Mental Health in Higher Education (OSMÉES): Quebec-based consortium of 270 researchers, students, and CEGEP/university staff focused on student mental health. Collaborates with QSU on research and policy advocacy, sharing thematic focus but not direct competition.

Broad incumbents

• European Students' Union (ESU): Umbrella organization of 45 National Unions of Students in Europe. ESU operates a comparable federation-of-federations model with policy advocacy on funding, mobility, and student wellbeing, mirroring QSU's role at a continental scale.
• National Union of Students (NUS) UK: Largest student representative body in the UK, organizing campaigns on tuition, mental health, and student conditions. Comparable in mission, advocacy operating model, and member-association federation structure to QSU.
• Canadian Federation of Students (CFS): Canada-wide student federation with provincial and national advocacy operations. CFS competes with CASA for member associations and overlaps QSU in representing students on financial aid, tuition, and post-secondary policy issues.
• Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA): National coalition of student associations across Canada in which QSU participates. CASA operates at the federal level on research funding and tuition policy, providing a broader geographic counterpart to QSU's provincial advocacy model.

Direct peers

• Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ): Quebec's college-level student federation that partners directly with QSU on joint campaigns (SFA reinvestment, paid internships, mental health). It represents CEGEP students with a comparable advocacy and policy-influence operating model.
• Fédération des associations étudiantes universitaires québécoises en éducation permanente (FAEUQEP): Quebec federation of university student associations in continuing education. FAEUQEP has collaborated directly with QSU on the 'Our own plan' COVID-19 psychological health study, reflecting overlapping membership constituencies and shared research/advocacy focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UnionEtudiante
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkdE0BdeXOLGdhGgEKwbg9w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ueq.qsu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ueq-qsu
• Instagraminstagram.com/ueq.qsu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Quebec Student Union