dusa

What dusa does

DUSA is the students' association and registered Scottish charity (SC016047) serving University of Dundee students. It functions as an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation in which all enrolled University of Dundee students are automatically members at no direct cost, funded instead through commercial venues, retail operations, advertising, and partnerships. The organisation operates a portfolio of physical venues on the City Campus, including the Premier at DUSA convenience store, The Liar bar/venue, Library Café, Ninewells café, and Bonar Hall events venue, alongside an online merchandise shop built on Shopify.

Its core digital platform comprises the myDUSA student app (powered by StudentLink), Membership Solutions Ltd (MSL) for membership and case management (with MSL acting as data processor for secure hosting), and an integration with the Scoot delivery app for Premier Store fulfilment. Non-commercial service lines include free, confidential Advice & Support (academic, housing, welfare, wellbeing, LGBTQ+, international, disability), Student Representation through an elected Executive, Student Representative Council, School Presidents and Class Reps, and an engagement layer built on 240+ student societies, a Volunteering Program (~300 student volunteers), and student media operations (Jam Radio, Tay Productions).

DUSA's revenue model is diversified across three streams: retail/hospitality transactions at its owned venues, student-targeted advertising and sponsorship (including Freshers Fair stall bookings), and charitable funding. The organisation is governed by a 14-member Board of Trustees (7 annually elected student Executive members and 7 skills-based Additional Trustees), with day-to-day management delegated to a Chief Executive Officer. It is not a venture-backed or investor-return entity, and no external funding rounds, M&A activity, or equity structure are disclosed.

Name

dusa

Legal name

Dundee University Students' Association

Website

https://dusa.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DUSA is a not-for-profit Scottish charity that serves as the students' association for the University of Dundee, providing advice, representation, societies, retail, hospitality venues, and digital services to automatically enrolled students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Union Services

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Retail-Convenience Stores (5412), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus/Institutional Convenience Stores (University/Hospital) (CRAHABAF)

Keywords

• Student union services
• Student representation
• Student advice support
• Student retail hospitality
• Student societies engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Retail Operations: Revenue from Premier Store retail operations selling groceries, snacks, and sustainable lifestyle products
2. Hospitality and Venue Services: Food and beverage operations including The Liar venue, Library Café, Ninewells café, and Bonar Hall events venue
3. Student Advertising and Sponsorship: Revenue from businesses advertising to students, including Freshers Fair stall bookings

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

DUSA provides advice, representation, activities, venues, and societies for University of Dundee students. It operates a convenience retail store (Premier at DUSA), multiple hospitality venues (The Liar bar, Library Café, Ninewells Café, Bonar Hall), student media outlets, volunteering programmes, and elections, while running a Shopify-powered online shop and a society management platform (myDUSA).

Product overview

DUSA (Dundee University Students' Association) is a not-for-profit student union serving University of Dundee students. The organization operates as a multi-service platform providing: (1) Advice & Support Services including academic, housing, international student, disability, wellbeing, and LGBTQ+ support; (2) Student Representation through an elected Student Executive Committee, Student Representative Council, School Presidents, and Class Reps; (3) Retail & Hospitality venues including the Premier at DUSA convenience store, The Liar bar venue, Library Café, and Bonar Hall event venue; (4) Student Engagement through over 240 student societies, DUSA Media (Jam Radio, Tay Productions), and a volunteering program; (5) Student Elections for leadership positions. All University of Dundee students are automatically members and can access these services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DUSA Advice & Support

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Membership Solutions Ltd (MSL)coreTechnology or IntegrationMSL provides the student membership and case management system for DUSA. MSL acts as a data processor providing secure hosting and system infrastructure. This is the core technology platform for managing student memberships.
• Friends International Support GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian charity that links international students with local people, providing opportunities to meet, make friends, and learn about local culture through regular events.
• University of Dundee International Advice ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports international students and families on immigration and practical guidance when living and studying in the UK. Referred to as internal resource for international student support.
• Global RoomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial space on City Campus for all students to relax, meet new people and celebrate cultural events including Diwali, St Andrews Day and Thanksgiving.
• Peer ConnectorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelcoming and buddying scheme to help new students settle into life at Dundee. Trained student volunteers who help other students get used to university life.
• Dundee Student HomesminorOthersHousing platform with International Friendly Accreditation scheme for landlords and letting agencies, recommended for international student accommodation search.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Aberdeen Students' Association: Aberdeen-based students' association operating advice, representation, retail, and venue services for University of Aberdeen students in a near-identical operating model to DUSA.
• Glasgow Caledonian University Students' Association: Students' association serving Glasgow Caledonian University with representation, advice, and events in a Scottish students' association framework directly comparable to DUSA.
• Robert Gordon University Students' Union: Aberdeen-based students' union delivering advice, representation, and venue operations for RGU students, mirroring DUSA's scope and Scottish charity governance model.
• University of Stirling Students' Union: Scottish students' union delivering representation, events, advice, and commercial venues to University of Stirling students using a charity-led model structurally similar to DUSA.
• Edinburgh University Students' Association: Students' association at the University of Edinburgh operating under the same Scottish charity model, providing advice, representation, retail, and hospitality services to its student membership — directly comparable in scope, governance structure, and revenue model to DUSA.
• Queen Margaret University Students' Union: Edinburgh-based students' union for Queen Margaret University providing student representation, advice, and activities in a comparable Scottish higher-education charity structure.
• University of St Andrews Students' Association: Independent Scottish students' association delivering representation, events, advice, and venues to St Andrews students, with a similar charity-led structure and commercial sub-operations comparable to DUSA.
• Abertay University Students' Association: Students' association at Abertay University, located in Dundee alongside DUSA, operating an equivalent student services, representation, and venue model for a similarly sized Scottish university population.
• Heriot-Watt Student Union: Edinburgh-based students' union providing representation, advice, events, and venue services to Heriot-Watt University students under a comparable Scottish charity framework.
• University of Glasgow Student Representative Council: Recognised students' body at the University of Glasgow providing representation, advice, and student activities under a comparable Scottish student-association governance framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dusadundee
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/dusatheunion
• Facebookfacebook.com/DUSA.TheUnion
• Instagraminstagram.com/dusadundee
• TikToktiktok.com/@dusadundee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 dusa