The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Student Committee first appears in a farewell letter to Dr. Halford Hoskins after his resignation as Director of the School in 1949. After that, the records of the SAIS Office of the Dean contain lists of Committee members and correspondence between the Committee and Deans Thayer and Wilcox from the years 1953 to 1962, and 1969 to 1973 (RG 07.001, Subgroup 1, Series 1, Student Committee, 1949-1962 and Student Committee, 1969-1973). The Committee apparently acted as a mediating body between the students and the administration and faculty on such issues as the proposed imposition of a student activities fee, determination of the nature of oral exams, SAIS relations with the Defense Department during the Vietnam War, and student influence on the faculty hiring process.

By the late 1970s the Student Government apparently had taken over responsibilities relating to orientation, socials, and the sponsorship of clubs, a newsletter, and occasional lectures. In 1977 they also assumed responsibility for the course evaluation process, a major activity.