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Students at UCL have been making change happen since 1893, improving the education and lives of students who study here.
There are lots of ways to have your voice heard through your Union. You can speak to your representatives about issues that matter to you, share an idea for a change you want to see, or run to become an elected student leader.
The Union has different types of student representatives.
However, the Union is led by Sabbatical Officers who represent you at UCL and beyond. Your Officers have been voted into office by you, in the UK's largest student election, to drive improvements in your education and in student life.
Sabbatical Officers are supported by 1000s of student leaders who represent you in your course or in your research area, your student accommodation, your activities or in student groups.
Student leaders are dedicated to representing you and creating change at the Union and UCL.
Real change can only happen with the help of students like you! Whatever matters to you, we’ll help you take the next step.
How would you like to make a change at UCL?
Choose an area you care about to find the people, discussions and opportunities that can help you make a difference.
- Academic experience
- Would you like to improve your educational experience?
This could include assessment and feedback, lecture recordings, timetabling, teaching quality, study spaces, learning resources or support on your course.
Speak to your Academic Rep if an issue is affecting students on your Course, Research area, Department or Faculty.
Find your Academic Rep
Contact the Education Officer about a wider issue affecting teaching, learning or the academic experience across UCL.
Contact the Education Officer
Share an idea for something you would like the Union or UCL to change.
Submit an idea - Support, Wellbeing & Access
- Would you like to improve students’ wellbeing or day-to-day experience at UCL?
This could include mental health and wellbeing, financial pressures, housing, safety, accessibility, the cost of studying, access to support or barriers to taking part.
Look at your student leaders if you want to raise a wider issue affecting students or a community you belong to.
Find your student leader
Attend our democratic meetings to share your experience and help shape what the Union works on.
Join the discussion
Share an idea for a change that could improve student life.
Submit an idea
Do you need help with an issue specific to you? Our Advice Services may be able to help.
Find advice and support - Community & Belonging
- Would you like to improve the experience of the community you belong to and help ensure that all student voices are heard?
This could include belonging, representation, equality at UCL, community spaces, shared experiences or decisions affecting particular groups of students.
Connect with a Student Network to meet students with shared experiences and help shape the Network’s priorities.
Explore Student Networks
Speak to your student leaders about an issue affecting your community.
Find your student leader
Share an idea for a change that could help make UCL or the Union more inclusive.
Submit an idea
- Student Life
- Would you like to improve the activities, spaces or experiences that shape life at UCL?
This could include clubs and societies, sport, Union spaces, events and opportunities, inclusion in student activities, facilities, hall communities or shared spaces in accommodation.
Contact the Activities & Engagement Officer about a wider issue affecting activities or campus life.
Contact the Activities & Engagement Officer
Speak to an Activities Rep about an issue affecting clubs, societies, sport or student activities.
Find an Activities Rep
Speak to your Hall Community Officer about a shared issue affecting students in your hall or the experience of your hall community.
Find your Hall Community Officer
Share an idea for something you would like the Union to change.
Submit an idea - Sustainability
- Would you like to improve sustainability at UCL, in the local community or nationally?
Join the Sustainability Council (SusCo) to help create and support environmental action across our student community.
Read more about SusCo.
Work with the Sustainability Officers who chair SusCo and work with the Sabbatical Officers to ensure the Union is environmentally and ethically sustainable.
Contact the Sustainability Officers
Attend our democratic meetings to share your experience and help shape what the Union works on.
Join the discussion
Share an idea about something you think the Union should support, oppose or work to change.
Submit an idea
Explore our wider work to see how the Union works with other organisations and decision-makers on issues affecting students.
See how we influence change beyond UCL - Have Your Voice Heard
- Have your say and help shape the decisions that affect students.
You might want to find out who represents you, ask a question, contribute to a discussion, vote on an idea or understand what the Union is currently working on.
Look at your student leaders to see who represents your course, community or area of student life.
Find your student leader
Join the conversation by taking part in an upcoming discussion or democratic event.
Join the discussion
Explore student-led change to see what students and their student leaders are working on.
See what the Union believes in
Share an idea if there is something you would like the Union or UCL to change.
Submit an idea
How our students have made change at UCL & beyond
From small daily improvements to larger campaigns, students really help shape life here at UCL. Discover the amazing changes students have created and the important issues they're working on.
Join the conversation
We want you to share your experience and help guide what the Union works on to make the most of your student experience!
Our elected students meet throughout the year to discuss issues that matter to you. You don’t have to be an elected student leader to get involved. Just pick a discussion that’s meaningful to you and see how you can contribute; your voice matters!
Can’t attend a meeting? Check the event page to see whether you can submit a question or share your views in another way.
What would you change?
Tell us what you would like to improve at UCL and why it matters.
What would you like to change at UCL? Share a suggestion, idea or feedback about an issue affecting students.
Give your submission a short title, choose the theme that fits best, and briefly tell us what you think should change. We'll put you in touch with the relevant student leader.
Where does my idea go?
We will help connect you with the relevant Sabbadical Officer, other students who want to work on the issue or to a Union meeting to discuss your issue.
What happens next will depend on your idea. It might inform a discussion during our democratic meetings (called policy zones), be shared with an elected officer or go to the Union team responsible for that area.
- What is a Policy Zone?
- Policy Zones are meetings where elected student leaders discuss issues affecting student life and help shape how the Union responds to them.
Each Zone focuses on a different area of the student experience. They discuss issues, hold elected Sabbadical Officers to account for their work and vote on Union Policy.
Discussions bring together student feedback, research, and relevant expertise so that student leaders can understand an issue and agree on what they want to work towards.
If your idea relates to one of the issues being considered by a Policy Zone, it may help inform that discussion or it may be a new issue that is added to a future meeting.
Some ideas are presented to meetings as policy proposals which are voted on by elected student leaders.
Read more about the Policy Zones - Do I need to write a policy proposal?
- You don't need to write a formal policy proposal; just submit your idea and we'll be in touch.
Give your submission a short title, choose the theme that fits best and describe briefly what you would like to change.
If your feedback becomes part of a Policy Zone discussion, we'll work with you on developing a formal policy proposal. - What if I am not sure where my idea belongs?
- Choose the theme that best reflects what you want to tell us. You do not need to choose a Policy Zone, Officer or Union team.
If your feedback connects with an issue already being prioritised by a Sabbatical Officer, it may inform the relevant Policy Zone.
If it raises another student issue, it may be shared with the relevant Zone Chair to consider. Feedback about how a Union service operates may instead be shared with the staff team responsible for that area.
We’ll help identify the most relevant route and explain what happens next.
Do you need help with an issue specific to you? If you need support with your individual circumstances, our advice or another specialist service may be a better place to start. Find advice and support.
Research shaped by students
Students’ experiences help us understand what needs to change. We use surveys, focus groups, feedback and other research to identify the issues affecting students and build a stronger case for action.
Explore some of our latest research and see how students’ views are helping to shape the Union’s priorities and influence change at UCL and beyond.
Want to help shape future research? Take part in our surveys, focus groups and other opportunities to share your experience.
Influencing and making change beyond UCL
Some changes need action from the government, local authorities or organisations beyond UCL. We use what students tell us to raise these issues with decision-makers and work with other students’ unions where our students share the same concerns.
We are committed to ensuring that students' experiences are recognised beyond UCL. We collaborate with Russell Group Students' Unions and other partners in the sector to amplify students' voices. This collaboration helps us effectively represent your interests on a national level.