Student organisations at the University of Melbourne

Melbourne University student organisations provide representation for students and a wide range of services. Currently, student services at the University of Melbourne are provided by the university-managed company, MU Student Union Limited. A separate body called the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSUi) is responsible for student representation. The University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA) plays a similar role for the University's postgraduate students.

MU Student Union Limited is a company limited by guarantee that is wholly owned by the University of Melbourne that provides services to students at the University.

The University of Melbourne Student Union Inc. is an incorporated association of students at Melbourne University, Australia. UMSU is the successor to the Melbourne University Student Union for student representation.

UMSU is a separate body from the MU Student Union Limited, which is governed by a board with the assistance of a secretary and administered day-to-day by a chief executive officer. The board consists of a majority of university appointments, with some elected student representation.

There is a long history of student activities at the University of Melbourne. Particularly noteworthy is Union House Theatre, established in 1969, out of which a large number of notable Australian celebrities have emerged, such as Cate Blanchett, Barry Humphries and Malcolm Livingstone; the Union Band Comp, which has kick-started the careers of several well-known Australian bands; and an annual comedy review which produced the Working Dog crew. Several Members of Parliament were active within MUSU, including Sir Robert Menzies (former Australian Prime Minister), Lindsay Tanner (Member for Melbourne) and Sophie Mirabella (Member for Indi).

The student union has been funded by compulsory fees since 1911, with the fees going towards student services, along the Cambridge and Oxford unions model. Since changes to the Federal Higher Education Act in 2003–04, amenities and services fees collected by Melbourne University have been changed at a rate of $49 per subject. Full-time students generally in 2006 were required to pay $392 or around five weeks in rent in shared accommodation.

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