Section 6: Student Academic Representation

Published for 2025-26.

Contents

6.1 Introduction 

  1. UCL Regulation for Management 12.1 provides as follows: “In each academic Department [1] there shall be at least one departmental Student Partnership Committee (SPC). Each Student Partnership Committee shall meet regularly in each academic year to enable joint working between staff and students, through discussion and agreement of priorities for improving students’ educational experience.”
  2. The purpose of student academic representation is to enable partnership working between students and staff throughout UCL.  Representative Student Voice should shape and influence education and student experience activity in departments, faculties, and across UCL.
  3. Arrangements for academic representation are overseen by the UCL Student Partnership Committee (SPC), with staff and student membership from UCL departments, faculties, professional services, and the Students’ Union. The SPC reports to Education Committee.
  4. Academic representation at UCL is conducted in partnership with the Students’ Union, who shall:
    • Ensure effective promotion of representative roles together with faculties and departments. Provide induction training for representatives, and further opportunities which support them in their role.
    • Ensure information is available to students and staff on who holds representative positions, and to provide contact information where appropriate.
    • Provide guidance for both students and staff, including relevant information, support, and examples of best practice.

6.2 Committee Structure and Process 

  1. Each Department shall normally have one SPC. A Department may wish to establish a separate SPC for postgraduate or research students.
  2. Meetings with representatives at a programme level, though encouraged, do not constitute SPC meetings, except in the case of inter-departmental programmes. Departments should avoid complex SPC structures that disperse the Student Voice.
  3. The minutes of SPC meetings and feedback from representatives should be a standing item for discussion on the agenda of the Department’s Education Committee (and/or doctoral-education equivalent).
  4. The Department should ensure that its calendar of committee meetings facilitates timely discussion of issues raised by SPCs.

6.3 Appointment of Representatives 

  1. Departments should appoint representatives for each of the following:
    1. At least one representative for each year-group in each taught programme of study. Where appropriate, each representative may instead be appointed to represent a linked cluster of taught programmes.
    2. At least one representative for early years research students (students in their first or second years) and for later years research students (students in their third year or beyond), or the equivalent periods for part-time research students.
    3. For programmes offered on a part-time basis, there should be at least one part-time representative for the programme.
  2. Programmes with large year groups should consider appointing more than one representative per year group. Departments with a small number of programmes should consider appointing representatives for different pathways or specialisms within that programme.
  3. All representatives must be members of an SPC; the role should not be split between multiple students, nor should different representatives be invited to attend different meetings of the same SPC.
  4. All representatives must be appointed by process of election. All elections, including those where only one candidate is standing, should include a ‘Reopen Nominations’ (RON) option to encourage and support the accountability of representatives to the students they represent.
  5. The appointment of representatives should be completed by the close of the October appointment schedule which is agreed and circulated by the UCL SPC (EdCom) in advance of each academic session. The details of representatives should be reported to the Students’ Union via the designated contact in the Faculty.
  6. Should a representative step down during their term of office prior to the term two reading week, the representative should be replaced by any method approved by the SPC Co-Chairs.
  7. Any replacement representative’s details should be reported to the Students’ Union via the Faculty in the same manner as during appointment of the Student Academic Representatives in October.
  8. The SPC may choose to invite additional students to attend the meeting to ensure a diverse membership that can effectively reflect students’ views and perspectives.
  9. All departments should take steps to ensure their representatives attend training arranged by the Students’ Union as part of taking up their role.
  10. The term of office for each representative is 12 months from the date of their appointment in October, or the end of their studies, whichever is sooner. At the close of each students’ term of office, the role must be re-elected.
  11. Any representative appointed later through replacement or co-option will also end their term of office in October. SPC meetings in advance of the October appointment of representatives may utilise the returning membership of the SPC. 

6.4 Student Partnership  Committee Meetings 

  1. SPC membership in each department will be set following consultation between students and departmental staff but must include the following:
    1. Either Head of Department (or Deputy)/Programme Director/Director of Education/Senior member of academic staff
    2. At least one member of staff responsible for undergraduate students
    3. At least one member of staff responsible for postgraduate taught students*
    4. At least one member of staff responsible for research students*
    5. All student academic representatives in the department
    6. Where applicable, a committee member of each department society.

    * May not be required where there is a separate committee graduate or research-student SPC.

  1. Each SPC will have joint Co-Chairs, one student and one staff member, who are responsible for agreeing each meeting’s agenda. The student Co-Chair should be the Lead Department Representative, who will be appointed by a process specified by the Students’ Union.
  2. Departments will nominate a member of professional service staff responsible for each SPC, who will act as secretary. SPC minutes should clearly indicate who has attended, and their role in relation to the Committee.
  3. Staff membership of the SPC should not form a majority.
  4. An SPC must meet at least twice each academic year (typically once per term). Additional meetings, including to discuss matters that might have a particular impact on students are encouraged.
  5. The agenda shall be circulated to all SPC members normally at least one week before the date of a meeting of a Committee. The agenda should also be made available to all relevant students.
  6. SPC minutes should be produced within two weeks of meetings, forwarded to members and uploaded to the  SPC Minutes Channel
  7. The unconfirmed minutes should also be reported to the Department and Faculty Education Committees (and/or doctoral-education equivalent), along with the Faculty Academic Representative Forum.
  8. A template for the SPC agenda and minutes is available at Annex 9.6.1.

6.5 SPC Terms of Reference 

  1. To act as a focal point of student engagement and partnership in the Department, bringing staff and students together to celebrate successes, to reflect on challenges, and to jointly identify priorities for change in the future.
  2. To report on priorities and agreed actions to the Department and Faculty Education Committees (and/or doctoral-education equivalent), along with the Faculty Academic Representative Forum.
  3. To ensure joint student and staff discussion at every meeting, focusing on:
    1. Any areas of concern raised by the Student Representatives or other SPC members.
    2. The content of and progress against the Department Education Plan.
    3. UCL ChangeMakers or other staff-student led projects including discussion of project proposals and tracking of progress of the projects throughout the year.
    4. Opportunity for the Lead Department Representative to report on work they have been conducting on behalf of the SPC, including their attendance at any Faculty or institution level meetings.
  4. To ensure joint student and staff discussion at least once during every Academic Session of:
    1. Proposals for new programmes and revisions to existing programmes
    2. Outcomes of institutional and national surveys, and activities leading from them.
    3. Matters raised through external examiners reports and the department’s responses to those recommendations.
    4. Student employment outcomes and other careers and employability related data.
  5. To facilitate greater communication between students and staff, and report key actions, discussions, and recommendations to the wider student body.

6.6 Lead Department Representatives 

  1. The Department will be responsible for the appointment of the Lead Department Representative through a process specified by the Students’ Union.
  2. The Lead Department Representative(s) will be responsible for leadership of the SPC, ensuring the effectiveness of student voice in influencing and shaping their learning experiences.
  3. The Lead Department Representative(s) should be invited to join their Departmental Education Committee (and/or doctoral-education equivalent). Other student representatives may also be invited where appropriate.
  4. Where appropriate, the Lead Department Representative can be called upon to attend departmental and Faculty meetings to represent the SPC. They can also take chair’s action to approve changes to policies and documents that require action before an SPC can be convened. Where such action is taken, the Lead Department Representative must be allowed time to consult with the SPC to gain wider student feedback and the chair should provide a full report to the next formal SPC meeting.
  5. Any Faculty with only one Department is not required to appoint a Lead Department Representative. For such faculties, the duties of the Lead Department Representative should be carried out by the Faculty Representative(s).

6.7 Faculty Representatives 

  1. The Students’ Union will be responsible for the election of Faculty Representatives for each Faculty.
  2. The Faculty Representative(s) will be responsible for the leadership of representatives in the Faculty, ensuring the effectiveness of students’ voices in influencing and shaping their departments. They will also represent their Faculty in institution-wide forums and the Students’ Union.
  3. The Faculty Representative(s) must be invited to join their Faculty Education Committee (or doctoral-education equivalent). Other student representatives may also be invited where appropriate.

6.8 Faculty Academic Representative Forums 

  1. Each faculty should operate a forum which brings together faculty staff, Faculty representatives, and the Lead Department Representatives (or their nominee) from each SPC in the faculty.
  2. The purpose of this forum will be to identify shared priorities within the faculty and any action required to address such priorities, and to involve students with faculty decision-making. The Faculty Education Committee, Faculty Research Degrees Committee and/or the Faculty Representatives may additionally wish to utilise the forum as a sounding board where they identify a need for greater student involvement with particular matters.
  3. A staff lead for the forum should be established, who should be a member of the Faculty Education Committee and/or the Faculty Research Degrees Committee. The staff lead and the Faculty Representatives will be responsible for agreeing the agenda and format of each meeting.
  4. This forum should meet at least twice each year.
  5. Faculties may wish to operate more than one forum to cover different levels of study.
  6. The format of this forum is not required to be a committee meeting, and creative approaches to considering business are encouraged, i.e., workshop-style items.
  7. A record of each meeting should be taken and circulated to attendees. This may be in the form of summary notes rather than formal minutes.

6.9 Interdepartmental Degree Programmes 

  1. Interdepartmental degree programmes may wish to have separate programme-based SPCs, but in line with regulations for management instruction, these are not required where there is a suitable alternative (e.g., reps from these programmes are included in the SPCs for the Home department for the programme).

Recent Changes

A guide to changes to the regulations are available from the Recent Changes page.