Elections
Nominations 16th – 27th Feb
BSU 2026
ELECTIONS
nominations period
16TH FEBRUARY (10AM) – 27th February (3PM)
voting period
10th march (10am) – 12th march (4pm)
What are the bsu LEADERSHIP elections?
Brighton Students’ Union runs annual Leadership Elections, in which students vote for both the four elected Union officers: President, Activities Officer, Communities Officer, and Education Officer, alongside society leaders for the next academic year. Your voice in choosing representatives for your views during your university study is crucial. Elections are a cornerstone of our democratic process. By taking part as a voter or a candidate, students help shape how the Students’ Union and its communities are led throughout their time at university.
key dates
WHAT ARE THE Officer roles?
Union President
The Union President represents the needs. of students, alongside leading the Union’s developments, they attend a number of meetings with the University and other key stakeholders to ensure that the student voice is always heard.
Activities Officer
The Activities Officer leads the student activities programme; to include societies, sports, and entertainments across all campuses and partner colleges. They consult with students in the development of activities across a wide range of areas.
Communities officer
The Communities Officer represents the diverse communities to better reflect the student population. They will also support SU campaigns and focus on student health and wellbeing.
EDUCATION OFFICER
The Education Officer furthers the academic interests of students. They are responsible for representing students on issues affecting their academic experience within the University, locally and nationally.
The four Union Officer roles (President, Activities Officer, Communities Officer and Education Officer) are full-time, paid positions. These roles cannot be undertaken alongside academic study. Officers are employed for the year and receive a salary of £26,387.
Any current University of Brighton student can stand for these roles, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, part-time or full-time, mature, international, home, or from any course or campus. If you’re a registered student, you’re eligible to run or vote.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
International students have worked successfully as students’ union officers, and we encourage you nominate yourself. It is important to be clear on the specific terms of your visa and financial position before nominating yourself so that you are confident that this is a good option for you right now. If you’re unsure, please contact [email protected].
“All elected candidates must, by 1st May preceding the start of the Sabbatical Officer term, provide formal written confirmation from the University of Brighton that they have suspended, interrupted, or completed their studies and will be free from all academic commitments by the start date. They must also complete and submit all required right-to-work documentation, including any uploads to relevant government portals, to confirm their legal right to work in the UK. Failure to meet these requirements may result in the candidate being deemed unable to commence employment and therefore ineligible to assume the role.”
– You may need to find a loan or get financial sponsorship, as the BSU is not able to provide visa sponsorship. Check the terms and conditions of your specific visa before nominating yourself.
– Depending on your specific student loan, you might have to start repaying if you take a break from your studies to be a BSU officer or be in breach of your agreement if you do not return to your employer when your studies end. That’s why it is very important to know if this applies to you before nominating!
– You can stand for election after your course has ended to avoid interrupting your studies and having to repay your student loan before graduating.
– Following the BSU’s elections policy, you must be able to work full-time in the UK. Therefore, it is not possible to fulfil this role part-time alongside completing your studies; you must obtain approval for a suspension/ interruption with the university.
– You have to provide your financial sponsor’s consent to an immigration application if:
o You have completed a course in the last 12 months, and
o a government or international sponsorship agency paid your fees and living costs.
– The BSU must check that you have immigration permission that allows you to do the job, and this must be confirmed by May 1st.
– If you have EU settlement scheme permission, you can check how to view and prove your immigration status on the government’s gov.uk website.
– If you have other immigration permission, confirm if it allows you to work full-time in the UK (as well as interrupt studies if relevant) before nominating yourself. Most types of immigration permission allow employment. For example, the Graduate route or dependent permission.
Society elections
BSU Societies are student-led, meaning committee members have control over how to run their society, an experience that gives you memories you’ll carry throughout and after your time at university. During Society Committee Elections, you have the chance to run for the roles of president and VP Finance, as these are the committee members required for a society to run. If a society wishes to have additional committee members, we will run by-elections later in the academic year.
We want everyone to feel capable and comfortable running their society, which is why we provide training that covers everything you need to know as a committee member.
And that’s not all… committee members are eligible to apply for a PRYZM Black Card, giving you and a friend free entry every Wednesday, Friday AND Saturday before midnight!
you must be a member of the society you are running to be a committee member for.
society committee job roles
We encourage committee members to work as a team, so the following job descriptions are provided as guidelines, and all tasks can be distributed as the committee see fit.
- Run the society and do most of the admin
- Lead the direction of the society and be the main point of contact for the society to the BSU Societies Team
- Ensure all society members purchase their membership and are therefore given the opportunity to stand and vote in the annual elections
- Manage committee meetings, ensuring decisions are made with everyone’s input and opinion and that the team are fulfilling their duties as described in their role descriptions
- Take pictures of the society events and encourage your members to nominate your society for Society/ Academic Society of the Month Competition (to win £50!)
- Regularly check for new memberships through the website and send a welcome email to new members letting them know when/where the next meet up is
- Promote maximum participation in the society through key events such as Freshers’ Fair & ReFreshers’ Fair, the Annual Elections, society events, social media and the BSU Website
- Take ultimate responsibility for ensuring all appropriate forms are completed (on time) for events; including Room Bookings, Bake Sale Forms, Trip Forms, Event Forms and External Speaker Forms, consequently adhering to Brighton Students’ Union and the University of Brighton’s policies and procedures