Section 7: Student Representation on UCL Academic Standing Committees and Sub-Committees

Published for 2025-26.

Contents

Policy

  1. UCL and the Students’ Union provide many opportunities for students to engage with UCL’s policy- and decision-making in all areas of teaching, learning and support. Students can have a say in the way the University is run. There are many opportunities. The page below summarises these.

7.1 Representation at Departmental and Faculty Level 

7.1.1 Student Partnership Committee (SPC)

  1. Every Department should have at least one Student Partnership Committee (SPC) (see Section 6) which meets at least twice each academic session. SPCs provide the opportunity to feedback to lecturers and departmental administrators about issues that have impacted on programmes and modules. These may include good or bad ways in which lectures, tutorials, labs etc. have been delivered which can be addressed by the teaching Department, or they may include university-wide issues such as library or computing facilities, or even noise caused by building works. Departments take these comments very seriously, and the main matters arising from the minutes of the SPC meetings are considered by the Students’ Union and the UCL Student Partnership Committee (see Section 7.4). The Students’ Union annual report on the main matters arising from the SPCs is considered by Education Committee.

7.1.2 Departmental Education Committee (DEC)

  1. Every Department should hold a Departmental Education Committee (DEC) meeting each term, where changes in programmes, modules, teaching and assessment are agreed and monitored. All DECs should invite the student Lead Department Representative to membership of the Committee (see Section 6.6) and consider inviting other student representatives where appropriate.

7.1.3 Faculty Education Committee (FEdCom)

  1. All of UCL’s academic Departments belong to a Faculty which provides governance and support to the way in which Departments are managed. All Faculties have a Faculty Education Committee (FEdCom) which meets termly. All FEdComs should invite the student Faculty Representative to membership of the Committee (see Section 6.7) and consider inviting other student representatives where appropriate.

7.1.4 Faculty Research Degrees Committees (FRDC)

  1. Faculties may also hold a Faculty Research Degrees Committee (FRDC) meeting each term. The FRDC should include three Research Student Representatives in its membership and attendance may rotate depending on availability for meetings. The FRDC may also wish to invite the student Faculty Representative to its meetings. 

7.1.5 Faculty Academic Representative Forums

  1. Faculties should also hold a Faculty Academic Representative forum. The forum should include Faculty Representatives and the Lead Department Representatives (or their nominee) from each SPC in the faculty.

7.1.6 Further Information

  1. For more information on your SPC, DEC, FEdCom, FRDC or Faculty Academic Representative forum, students should contact their undergraduate or postgraduate tutor or the Faculty Office.

7.2 Student Academic Representatives 

  1. Student Academic Representatives are elected to represent students’ views to UCL.  Student Academic Representatives sit on various committees at a programme (such as SPCs), faculty and university level, at which they act as the voice of students, ensuring that UCL takes into account the needs of students in its decision-making processes. The Student Academic Representative scheme is managed by the Students’ Union, and students can be representatives at both a departmental and faculty level. For general enquiries, please visit the Students’ Union website.

7.3 Representation via the Students’ Union 

  1. The Students’ Union is run by students for students. Apart from providing social spaces, support services and extra-curricular activities, the Students’ Union is an important political forum for all students. Students at UCL are automatically members of the Students’ Union and have access to all its facilities and support. The Students’ Union is run by Student Officers who are elected each year by the membership. Students can speak to one of these officers if they have any issues with which Officers may be able to aid or support them.

7.4 Student Representation on UCL Academic Standing and Sub-Committees 

  1. Many of UCL’s formal committees have student representation. On most of these committees, the student representatives comprise one or more of the Students’ Union’s elected Student Sabbatical Officers, who you may speak to if there are issues that you wish to raise at meetings of these committees.
  2. The UCL Student Partnership Committee (SPC) deals with issues relating directly to students. It reviews university-wide issues raised at SPCs. Many of the agenda items are raised by students via the Students’ Union. SPC currently has eleven student members and three student sabbatical officers. These student members are nominated by the Students’ Union. If you are interested in being nominated to serve on SPC, then please contact Simon To, Director of Policy, Governance & Advocacy, Students’ Union: simon.to@ucl.ac.uk

  3. Current student representation on UCL’s formal academic committees is as follows:

    Academic Board

    • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Thirteen elected full-time students, including at least one from each Faculty, with the proportion of undergraduate and postgraduate students determined to reflect the overall student population.

    Executive Committee of Academic Board

    • Up to two students to be appointed annually by the Students’ Union by a procedure as UCL sees fit, including one member of Council and one member of Academic Board.

    Governance Committee of Academic Board

    • Up to two student members selected by the UCL Students’ Union in any one year, as voting members, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Board and the other selected from those who are serving on Council.

    Academic Board Working Group on Statute 18

    • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union
    • Academic Board Working Group on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression
    • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union

    Academic Committee

    • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Equity and Inclusion Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)

    Education Committee

    • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Equity and Inclusion Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • One taught graduate student, nominated by the Students’ Union
    • One undergraduate student, nominated by the Students’ Union

    Library Committee

    • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)

    Research Degrees Committee

    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • One research student, nominated by the Students’ Union
    • Student Partnership Committee
    • President, Students’ Union and Co-Chair (ex officio)
    • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Postgraduate Students’ Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
    • Eleven student members with one from each faculty nominated by the Students’ Union

7.5 Student Representation on UCL Non-Academic and Statutory Committees 

7.5.1 Council and its committees

Council

  • Education Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
  • President, Students’ Union (ex officio)

Discipline Committee

  • One student, registered at UCL, nominated by the Students’ Union (normally as and when the Committee needs to be convened)

Discipline Review Body

  • A registered student of another university institution within the University of London, to be appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Registrar of UCL, as and when the Review Body needs to be convened.

Estates Committee

  • One student observer nominated by the Students’ Union

Finance Committee

  • President, Students’ Union (Student Observer) 

Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee

  • President, Students’ Union (ex officio)

People Committee

One of the Students’ Union UCL Representatives on Council, appointed by Council on the recommendation of ‘Governance and Nominations Committee

7.5.2 University Management Committee and its committees

Digital Delivery and Transformation Committee

  • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

  • Equity and Inclusion Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)
  • Five student members nominated by the Students’ Union

Estates Management Committee

  • Union Affairs Officer, Students’ Union (ex officio)

Financial Performance and Planning Committee

  • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union 

Operations Committee

  • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union 

People and Culture Committee

  • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union 

Recruitment and Admissions Committee

  • One place for the Education Officer

Research, Innovation and Global Engagement Committee

  • One student member nominated by the Students’ Union 

Work Health and Safety Committee

  • Two Student Observers, nominated by the Students’ Union 

Recent Changes

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