Societies have a great impact on your student experience from academic groups and creative collectives to hobbies, and cultural communities. Each society is led by a student committee, made up of passionate members who volunteer their time to organise events, represent their members, and build welcoming spaces where everyone can belong. These spring elections run early to ensure there is time for the current committees to show the new committee the ropes and top tips of how to run a society. Current committee roles come to an end at the end of July, and the new committee will start their positions at the beginning of August.

There are three mandatory positions that need to be filled in every society: President, Treasurer and Inclusions Officer. Some societies will also have non-mandatory positions, which are also up for election.

Who Can Take Part?

Participation in the elections is open to all students who are members of the society they wish to engage with.

If you’re a member, you can nominate yourself, run for a committee role, or vote in the election.
If you’re not a member yet but want to get involved, this is the perfect time to join and get the benefits of being a committee member. 
 

Eligibility: 

You must be a registered CU group student until at least December 2026. 
For academic societies, candidates must be enrolled on a relevant degree course to ensure the committee reflects the academic focus of the group. All candidates who are eligible to stand will receive the SU’s candidate behaviour guidelines, outlining expectations for campaigning and conduct throughout the election period.
You don’t need any prior experience to become a committee member, the SU team are here to support you, and you’re provided with training at the start of your role. 
 

Key Dates:
 

Nominations Open: 9am 23 February
Nominations Close: 9am 2 March
Voting Opens: 12pm 3 March
Voting Closes: 12pm 5 March
Results Announced: 3pm 6 March

Support for Candidates and Committees

To help students feel confident taking part, we’re holding a Candidate & Committee Drop‑In for Coventry students on the following date:

The Leaf, Coventry: 25th February - 12pm - 3pm

For students based at the London campuses your drop in will take place on the following dates:

CU London: 23rd February - 1pm - 2pm ; 26th February - 1pm - 2pm
Daghenham: 24th February - 1pm - 2pm

This is a relaxed opportunity to speak to the Activities team, ask questions about roles, and get guidance on the process.
Committees are encouraged to prioritise filling their society’s mandatory roles, which are essential for each group to remain active next academic year.

What are the benefits to being a committee member?

There are many benefits to being a committee member. The main  one is being able to make a difference to the student community, running a society means you have the chance to make a positive impact on the student community and ensure students have a space for the society they’re a part of. 

You get the chance to learn lots of different skills, for example, leadership, teamwork, event planning, organisation, people skills and finance skills. These skills are very useful to employers; lots of previous committees have talked about their experience during graduate job interviews.

Being a committee member opens up lots of opportunities and gives you access to things like the Student Leader Conferences that the SU runs and discounts at SU outlets as well as you're very own committee welcome pack, including a committee hoodie for mandatory roles. 

Exciting Rewards, Incentives & Competitions

Students who take part — whether running as candidates or casting their vote — will also be entered into voucher prize draws, with extra instant‑win prizes available for anyone voting at our physical voting booth.

Why Your Involvement Matters

Taking part in Society Elections is one of the most direct ways students can influence the communities they care about. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time or helping choose the next team, every action contributes to building stronger, more vibrant societies.

If you’re not yet a member but want to take part, now is the perfect time to join — you can explore all our active societies by clicking this link

If you have any questions about running for a society, we suggest asking the current committee of the society you want to run, contact the socieities team by clicking here