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About the Students' Union

Your Students' Union (SU) is at the heart of student life.

They are an independent, student-led organisation that represents your needs, protects your rights and, when it comes to making important decisions that affect you, makes sure your voice is heard. And as a University of Nottingham student, you're already a valued and celebrated member of the SU.

From its home in the Portland Building, the SU works hard to make sure your university experience is the best it can be, from the day you arrive to the day you graduate. They're here to make sure that you can experience a huge range of social, cultural, sporting, and recreational activities, make changes by standing up for what you believe in, and find support when you need a helping hand. 

Explore more about the SU

Societies - get involved, have fun

You can join any of the SU's diverse and vibrant societies. With over 200 societies and other student-run groups and services you can pursue your current passion or hobby, find a society or organisation specific to your degree…or try something new? You might even want to start your own society.

Browse societies

Become a course rep

Course reps are a vital part of the student voice. Through gathering feedback from your peers, sitting in key meetings and by lobbying or campaigning for positive change, you can make a real difference to the academic experience of those on your course.

Apply to become a course rep

Email your questions to the SU

Why should you become a course rep? 

Hear from a current course rep.  

Louis Yates, Third year student 

Why did you decide to become a course rep?

I decided to become a course rep to help shape how our course is run for the benefit of my peers. It gives me as a student the opportunity to make the course the best it could be and benefit the student body as a whole.

How have you benefited from the role?

I have been able to improve my communication skills, not only with my peers, but with lecturers as well. This role gives me the opportunity to gain feedback from those on my course and then communicate with lecturers to enhance the learning experience that we receive as a cohort. You also get to see the feedback from other courses, and these can be applied universally to help everyone within the faculty.

Why would you encourage someone else to become a rep?

I would encourage anyone who wants to help shape the way their course is run to become a course rep, as you get to know a lot more of your cohort through this role. It also looks good on a CV, as you have invested your time while at university, to improve the experience of others.

 

Calum Baugh, Third year student

Why did you decide to become a course rep?

I decided to become a course rep to give myself an opportunity to shape my course for the benefit of my peers. No course is perfect, and I wanted to make my course the best it could possibly be.   

  
How have you benefited from the role?

I have benefitted from the role by improving my interpersonal skills, by both gathering information from the other students on my course and feeding this back to the academics in the department. I've also made new friends on the course as a result of becoming a course rep, and people feel able and comfortable to talk to me if they have any issues with the course!

Why would you encourage someone else to become a rep?

I would encourage other students to take up this role if they are passionate about making change on their course, or to sign up just for something else to put on their CV that looks good and shows that they have made the most out of their time at university.

What is one thing you wish you knew before you became a course rep?

I wish I knew how much the academics valued the feedback the students raise at LCFs (Learning Community Forums). The academics are just as passionate if not more so than the students and if I would have known this earlier, I would have applied to be a course rep sooner!