Elections

The UCB Guild of Students is led by our elected student officers who represent the voice of the student body, making important decisions that impact your university experience.

Our elections give you the power to choose (or put yourself as) the student leaders who will guide our student community, advocate for your needs, and ensure that UCB is a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive place to study.

ANY QUESTIONS? email elections@ucbguild.co.uk

2025 education pto byelection – nominations

There are 3 steps – nominate yourself, attend mandatory candidate training, and submit your manifesto.

Step One: Get to know

Please note: to be eligible for a part time role, you can be any age, as long as you will be continuing your studies at UCC in the 2025-2026 academic year. This is a volunteer role, and will start alongside the 8 officers elected in February.

Step Two: Nominate Yourself

If you would like to stand in our elections for one of these positions, please click the link below. Full training on election rules will be given to nomination candidates, as well as advice available for writing your manifesto and running a good campaign. Or maybe you know somebody you think would be a brilliant officer – tell us through Recommend A Friend!

All candidates must attend this training and submit a manifesto before the start of campaigning – you have until Friday 16th May. We recommend you submit your nomination as soon as possible!

Step Three: Training

You will be required to attend Training with The Guild before the end of the Nomination Period on the 16th of May
The Guild are currently arranging session slots for you to attend, and key dates will be added here – candidates already nominated will also receive a email update with all dates as they are added.

If you are not able to attend any proposed sessions – please email elections@ucbguild.co.uk to arrange a session. We can be flexible with notice, and a legitimate reason why you cannot attend (for example, if the proposed dates conflict with course schedule) however it is your responsibility to arrange this – we will not be chasing you.

Step Four: Submit Your Manifesto

You are required to submit a brief manifesto by 6pm on 16th May, to tell students who you are and why you are running. You will need to send this to elections@ucbguild.co.uk

You can find the manifesto guide here:

Manifestos can only be 200 words maximum. 
Name:                                              Photo:
Manifesto Slogan: (A snappy slogan for your campaign, for example “Vote Mike – the voice for all at UCB”
Who are you: (Introduce yourself)

3 Aims if you were elected: 
(3 short bullet points, on what you will focus on if you are elected). 
Example:
More support for Course Reps
Campaign against hidden course costs
A more sustainable campus

Summarise 
What will you bring to the role: (Experience, skills, passions?)  &   why students should vote for you) 

For your reference and to get some idea of your team, here are the manifestos of our recently elected Education officers who you’ll be working alongside:

Soham Chougale – Education (FTO)

Empowering Education, Elevating Voices – Vote Soham!

Hi, I’m Soham Chougale , an MSc Aviation Management student passionate about making education at UCB more accessible, engaging, and student focused. As a dedicated student, I understand the challenges we face and want to ensure that every voice is heard when it comes to shaping our academic experience.  

1. Enhance Course Representation – Strengthen the support and training for Course Reps to ensure all student concerns are effectively addressed.

2. Improve Academic Support & Resources – Push for more accessible learning materials, academic workshops, and career development opportunities.

3. Advocate for Fairer Assessments & Feedback – Ensure transparency and timeliness in grading, while campaigning for improved feedback quality.

With experience in student advocacy, a strong understanding of university policies, and a passion for improving education, I am committed to making a real impact. My leadership skills, problem-solving mindset, and dedication to student success make me the ideal candidate to represent you.

Lauren Crossan – Education (PTO)

Making education more inclusive

1. More accessibility on campus

2. More inclusivity throughout university life

3. Mixers and events to form better connections throughout university campus life

Enhancing accessibility and inclusivity across a campus is a crucial step toward fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, faculty, and visitors. This involves more than just ensuring physical accessibility, such as ramps and elevators, though these are essential component. As a mature disabled student, I understand the struggles that disabled students go through day to day at university and outside university, whether that be stress related or physically. My plan is to make the university more accessible, so students feel comfortable coming to university. More Accessibility Therapy Dogs Visits to increase Coffee Mornings and Mixers Mindfulness Activities including colouring to craft making. Let’s make our lives at university as stress free and accessible as possible!

February 2025 Elections:
The Students Have Spoken!

As we publish the results of the 2025 February Guild Elections, we would like to take a moment to thank all 2,253 students who voted and made their voices heard, the Guild team who worked tirelessly to support all candidates and voters from the first day of Nominations until Results Day, and the countless University College Birmingham staff who have supported the Guild in the last weeks.

Lastly, we would like to say a big thanks to all of the candidates who stepped up to represent their peers, and who showed such motivation and dedication to create change and make UCB better for all students. We see the hard work you’ve put in this week, and whether you have been elected into Office or not, we are very proud of you.

And now, without further ado, here is the new Guild Officer Team for the 2025/26 academic year:

Your new full-time Education Officer is Soham.

Your new part-time Education Officer is Lauren. We will have a By-Election for the remaining post.

Your new full-time Societies & Activities Officer is Saroj.

Your new part-time Societies & Activities Officers are Bishal and Sagar.

Your new full-time Equality & Wellbeing Officer is Kunal.

Your new part-time Equality & Wellbeing Officers are Dhruv and Harley.

Detailed Results

Like most Students’ Unions, we use Single Transferable Voting (STV) where each student can choose to rank their candidates. When the votes are counted, every student has only one vote, but it can be reassigned based on their preferences if their top choice doesn’t win. To do this, the counting takes place over several ’rounds’ as the votes are transferred, with a winner needing more than 50% of the votes remaining.

The full vote count is available below:

What happens now

After every election, the National Union of Students review the key statistics and any concerns before certifying the election. The 2025 Officer elections have been certified by NUS, meaning that they have been confirmed as free and fair.

The Guild’s Board of Trustees then reviews the elections in detail to examine opportunities to improve in the future. The Guild Director will also present a report to the Board covering the 12 complaints that were received during this year’s election (2024: 25 complaints).

If you have feedback that you would like to share, please contact Mike (Head of Operations) on mike@ucbguild.co.uk.

Campaigning Resource Hub

All the currently available resources related to our elections, all in one place!