Socialist Alternative participates in campus student union elections and in the National Union of Students – in an attempt to win positions to influence student politics – as a faction, of which it claims to be the largest to the left of the National Labor Students.
They are known for their hostility towards both the Liberal and Labor parties.
Despite their presence in many social movements, Socialist Alternative activists have often come under criticism for having a "counter-productive" attitude towards movement work, prioritising recruiting new members over sustainable activism.
They are also known for their use of megaphones to drown out political debate and avoid the possibility of actual engagement in reasoned debate over any issue they disagree with through the loud, repetitive chanting of slogans.
They have come under attack from a range of factions in student politics, including Liberal students, both Left and Right Labor students and claim to have been slandered by the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, for their strong opposition to the state of Israel.

Students and student union activists form a large composition of Socialist Alternative's membership and their political work often emphasises university-based campaigns.
According to National Executive member Mick Armstrong, Socialist Alternative's focus on student work is part of a perspective that the organisation has adopted for the political period, due to what they see as their limited size and influence in the working class movement and the lack of any substantial radicalisation in society.
Socialist Alternative's political orientation to students mirrors the development of the British Socialist Workers Party during the 1980s.

Socialist Alternative members are active in student unions in universities such as Queensland University, Swinburne University of Technology, La Trobe University, University of Melbourne, RMIT, University of Western Sydney, University of Sydney, Charles Sturt University, Curtin University of Technology, University of New South Wales, and Victorian College of the Arts.
The membership of the organisation also includes secondary school students, active in their schools.

Socialist Alternative was deregistered as a club at Monash University in September 2014.
Matthew Lesh, Political Affairs Director of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, claimed that members of the organisation refused entry to a group of Jewish students on the basis of their religion and assumed political beliefs.
 The Socialist Alternative denied this claim.
Socialist Alternative is threatened with no longer receiving funds from the university and not being able to book university venues.
Socialist Alternative participates in campus student union elections and in the National Union of Students – in an attempt to win positions to influence student politics – as a faction, of which it claims to be the largest to the left of the National Labor Students. They are known for their hostility towards both the Liberal and Labor parties. Despite their presence in many social movements, Socialist Alternative activists have often come under criticism for having a "counter-productive" attitude towards movement work, prioritising recruiting new members over sustainable activism. They are also known for their use of megaphones to drown out political debate and avoid the possibility of actual engagement in reasoned debate over any issue they disagree with through the loud, repetitive chanting of slogans. They have come under attack from a range of factions in student politics, including Liberal students, both Left and Right Labor students and claim to have been slandered by the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, for their strong opposition to the state of Israel.
Students and student union activists form a large composition of Socialist Alternative's membership and their political work often emphasises university-based campaigns. According to National Executive member Mick Armstrong, Socialist Alternative's focus on student work is part of a perspective that the organisation has adopted for the political period, due to what they see as their limited size and influence in the working class movement and the lack of any substantial radicalisation in society. Socialist Alternative's political orientation to students mirrors the development of the British Socialist Workers Party during the 1980s.
Socialist Alternative members are active in student unions in universities such as Queensland University, Swinburne University of Technology, La Trobe University, University of Melbourne, RMIT, University of Western Sydney, University of Sydney, Charles Sturt University, Curtin University of Technology, University of New South Wales, and Victorian College of the Arts. The membership of the organisation also includes secondary school students, active in their schools.
Socialist Alternative was deregistered as a club at Monash University in September 2014. Matthew Lesh, Political Affairs Director of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, claimed that members of the organisation refused entry to a group of Jewish students on the basis of their religion and assumed political beliefs.  The Socialist Alternative denied this claim. Socialist Alternative is threatened with no longer receiving funds from the university and not being able to book university venues.
Socialist Alternative (Australia)