It’s been another busy year for us here at Students’ Union UCL. We’ve reached more students than ever before and have seen the highest level of participation across our social and extracurricular activities.
This year of outstanding activity was reflected in our NUS ranking, with Students' Union UCL ranking 7th across the Russell Group students' unions. NSS data can be found in full online.
We’ve outlined our major successes in this year’s impact report, which you can read online. Read on to see our achievements in numbers...
A record-breaking Welcome season
This year we held our largest-ever Welcome fortnight. Together with our student-led groups, we hosted more than 727 events, up from 620 in 2022.
More than 12,500 students joined a club or society during Welcome Week, and we showcased 70 live club and society performances on the Main Quad festival stage.
21,524 students joined a sports club or society this year, which is 45.7% of all students. This is up from 43% compared to the previous year!
Leading the way in student democracy
We held a record-breaking Leadership Race, retaining our record of holding the largest student election in the UK.
3,452 students put themselves forward for election and 11,177 students voted. Our turnout increased to 23.8%, a new UCL record! Was it all due to the giant ferris wheel we put up in the Main Quad? Who knows...
We elected and supported a network of over 2,000 Academic Reps across every department at UCL who dedicate themselves to representing the academic interests of students and improving education at UCL.
We hosted an Academic Rep Conference at UCL East for the first time since the Covid pandemic. Our Academic Reps were invited to attend skills sessions on public speaking, negotiation and utilising their role to enhance their CV.
We introduced ‘Hall Community Officers’ for the first time this academic year. 16 elected students held 63 events for students in Halls, including winter craft sessions, picnics, football matches, badminton sessions and Eid celebration events.
Being here to support you
Our Advice Service supported 2,020 students in need this academic year, with a wide range of challenges such as academic appeals, housing issues and financial support. Our Advice Service supported over 420 students with housing queries alone.
We have awarded £227,485 in hardship funding this year across our Student Activities Participation Fund, Gender Expression Fund and Sarah Douglas Hardship Fund.
Sporting superstars
11,224 students joined a Sports Club – that’s 24% of all UCL students, whilst 7,199 joined an Arts Society. We received TASS Accreditation, in recognition of the support we provide for students who are professional athletes.
Our clubs won 48 Bronze and Silver Medals, and 51 Gold medals in competitions across the year – our best ever. We’re 19th in the BUCs league table.
501 students, staff and alumni took part in our inaugural Campus Run at UCL East, helping to create an accessible pathway into physical activity.
Keeping it green
Sustainability is a core priority for the Students’ Union, and we have launched and expanded a number of key initiatives to help our community make sustainable choices in their daily lives.
We partnered with Sustainable UCL to deliver the first Sustainability Leadership Conference, with more than 120 student delegates coming together over two days to hear from expert speakers, join panel discussions, and take part in workshops.
We led the development of the national NUS Sustainability Charter to accelerate our transition to being a Net Zero organisation and help champion sustainability across all students’ unions in the UK.
Since the introduction of 50p disposable cup levy across our cafés last year last year, 25% of hot drinks are sold to customers using reusable cups, up from 18% last year.
Looking forward to the next academic year!
Alongside the continued delivery of our ambitious strategy, Making More Happen, the next twelve months is full of opportunities, challenges, and new initiatives.
We'll continue to expand our range of activities and support for students, with ambitious plans to increase our engagement across the UCL student population.
We'll be expanding our Arts programme, artsUCL, and will be offering more training and support for our resident creatives than ever before.
We're going to be refurbishing Bloomsbury Fitness, and installing gym space at UCL East, alongside a new common room for students based out in Stratford.
And finally, we'll be looking forward to helping UCL celebrate it's 200th birthday in 2026, as part of the UCL200 legacy project!
You can read this year's impact report in full online.