What is student representation?

Programme Representatives work at the local level, usually representing students in the same year and on the same programme as themselves. Their role is to gather feedback on the student experience on that programme – primarily focusing on learning and teaching – and share that feedback with relevant staff, working with them to enhance the student experience for current and future students.  

Programme Representatives are often involved in dialogue with staff throughout the academic year, but each semester they also attend a Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) meeting, where key areas of feedback are discussed, and students and staff work in partnership to co-create actions and identify solutions to any issues identified.  

Elected Representatives, including five full-time Sabbatical Officers, Liberation Officers, Section Representatives, and School Representatives work together to give a voice to particular cohorts and communities of students. Their role is to gather feedback on the student experience from the students they represent and share that feedback with relevant staff and the University more widely, working with them to enhance student experience for current and future students. 

Elected Representatives may also lead projects and campaigns which address issues and deliver positive change for students at the University and beyond.  

Each month Elected Representatives attend Student Council, the Students’ Association’s democratic decision-making body, where they discuss issues impacting the University of Edinburgh’s 49,000 students. 

If you have feedback on your student experience, you should contact your student representatives to share your thoughts with them.  

Your Programme Representatives may already have introduced themselves to you during the year, but if not your course organiser, programme director, or School teaching organisation should be able to provide you with their names and contact details. 

You can find the names and contact details of your Elected Representatives, including your School Representative, and relevant Liberation Officers and Section Representatives on the Students’ Association’s website.