Full Time Officer Elections

NUS is led by seven elected full-time officers who represent students and lead our work. Being an officer means mobilising students to organise around the campaigns that matter to them.

In the spring of 2026 reps will be electing the following officer positions.

NUS England President
NUS Vice President Higher Education
NUS Vice President Further Education
NUS Vice President Liberation and Equality
NUS Scotland President
NUS Cymru President
NUS-USI President

Nominations have now closed and candidates are currently preparing their campaigns.

We anticipate that candidates will be announced on 25 February.

Election timetable

All deadlines are at 12 noon unless otherwise stated.

Election rules

The full election rules can be found here.

Voting in NUS elections

In the NUS Full Time Officer Elections, NUS Reps will vote for the NUS President in their nation. Reps from English SUs can also vote for Vice President FE or HE.

For NUS Liberation, campaigning priorities are set by the new Liberation Collective. Each SU still has a set number of Liberation Reps for the purpose of electing the Vice President Liberation and Equality. Each union has a set number of five Liberation Reps with one rep for each of NUS’ five Liberation groups:

• Disabled
• LGBT+
• Trans
• Racialised
• Women

Students' Unions can register your reps here. 

The deadline to register reps to vote in the NUS Full Time Officer elections is Wednesday, 11 March at 12 noon.

More information about NUS reps is available on our democracy webpage.

Information for candidates

We've produced a comprehensive candidate information pack giving candidates all the essential information. We strongly suggest you read this in full as it covers information about NUS, what an officer role is really like, how to nominate yourself, candidate preparation and due diligence, plus essential information on the role, salary, place of work, benefits, etc.

Download the Candidate Information Pack (English)

Lawrlwythwch y Pecyn Gwybodaeth i'r Ymgeisydd (Cymraeg)

Complaints

Complaints may be submitted by any student (as defined in Schedule 1.34 of NUS UK’s Articles of Association), any Member (as defined in Articles 10.4 and 10.5) or Associate Member (per Article 13). All complaints should contain the following information: 

• Which of the guiding principles the candidate is alleged to have breached 
• Information about the nature of the complaint, including where relevant, dates times and locations 
• An idea of what the complainant wants to happen as a result of the complaint
• Supporting evidence to back up the complaint 

All complaints must be submitted using the online form with relevant evidence. This can be found at https://forms.nus.org.uk/view.php?id=417445 

If there are any issues with the online form please contact [email protected]

The deadline for the submission of complaints is one hour after the close of polling.

More information regarding the submission of complaints is available in the election rules.

FAQ

What are the visa routes for international students wishing to stand?

Successful candidates will become employees of NUS UK. As you may be aware, the government has placed strict requirements on employers to ensure employees have the right to work in the UK. Therefore, we must confirm that all candidates have the right to work in the UK, at the point of their appointment and for the full two-year term of office.

If you are currently studying in the UK under a Student Visa we believe the following options would be available to you:

1. Apply for a Graduate Visa to stay in the UK to work after graduation. Our latest understanding from the gov.uk overview of the graduate visa is that the visa lasts for 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026
2. Apply to extend your Student Visa. This will require the consent of your sponsoring institution. UKCISA have provided guidance on this here.

NUS UK is currently in the process of applying for a Skilled Worker visa sponsor license; however our current understanding is that elected officer roles will not be eligible for sponsorship.

The above is general guidance and is not intended as specific advice, as circumstances vary. If you are an international student considering nominating yourself for these roles we would encourage you to submit your nomination.

We will work with candidates as part of the candidate preparation process to support you in understanding your options. You will not have to prove your Right to Work in order to nominate yourself for election. However if you are not able to subsequently evidence your Right to Work in the UK, NUS UK will not be able to make you an offer of employment.

This is our current understanding of Right to Work at the time of writing. Please note the policy environment is changing quickly, so the above may not be accurate at the start of the Officer term. We will work with candidates impacted during the process to make aware of any changes.

The above does not alter NUS UK’s commitment to campaigning for the rights of International Students or our policy position on post study work for international students which can be read here https://www.nus.org.uk/international_students