Your voice shapes your education
Academic representation isn't just about collecting feedback, it's a fundamental philosophy that recognizes students as active partners in their education, not passive recipients of knowledge.
At Oxford SU, we believe academic representation is a tool of empowerment, a safeguard of rights, and a driver of transformation.
Want to get involved? [Find your rep] | [Become a rep] | [Report an issue]
Why academic representation matters?
It centres your lived experience
Your perspectives as students directly shape how courses are taught, how assessments work, how access is managed, and how resources are distributed. Rather than treating students as consumers or data points, academic representation recognizes you as co-creators of educational quality.
It builds institutional accountability
Academic representation creates accountability between students and the University. It enables early identification of systemic issues, assessment inequity, hidden costs, EDI problems, and provides formal channels to escalate, negotiate, and resolve concerns.
Without academic representation, university governance risks becoming top-down, exclusionary, and disconnected from the people it serves.
It trains democratic leaders
Being a representative is itself a transformative learning experience. Through their roles, student reps develop crucial skills in policy analysis, negotiation, committee governance, public speaking, and strategic planning.
Academic representation creates space for students to grow as scholars, leaders, and agents of change.
Our approach: Students as partners
Oxford SU's model draws from the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, which emphasizes students as partners in quality assurance:
"Providers take deliberate steps to engage students as active partners in enhancing the learning experience."
This principle moves beyond consultation to embrace co-creation. Academic representation isn't just about asking students for opinions, it's about building frameworks where students collaboratively shape decisions.
Oxford's approach is unique because of our complex ecosystem: five divisions with overlapping degree programmes, collegiate and non-collegiate structures, and thousands of international, part-time, and non-matriculated students.
Within this complexity, academic reps are the connective tissue that make the system more responsive, inclusive, and just.
Who represents you?
Course Representatives
Every course has student representatives who gather feedback and raise issues directly with teaching staff. They attend Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs) and departmental meetings on your behalf.
What they do:
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Collect feedback from students in their cohort
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Raise concerns at departmental meetings
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Work with staff to improve teaching and assessment
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Connect local issues to wider university policy
Find your course rep: [Search by course/department]
Divisional Representatives
Each of Oxford's five divisions has student representatives who tackle bigger picture issues and sit on high-level committees, working directly with senior university leadership.
What they do:
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Represent student voice on major university committees
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Lead policy research projects on key student issues
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Coordinate between different levels of representation
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Drive systemic change across their division
Current Divisional Reps: (Hyperlink to departmental/division page)
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Humanities: [Name & contact]
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Social Sciences: [Name & contact]
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Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences: [Name & contact]
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Medical Sciences: [Name & contact]
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Continuing Education: [Name & contact]
How to get your voice heard
1. Speak to your reps
Contact your course or divisional rep about issues affecting your studies. They're trained to escalate concerns and know exactly who to speak to in the university hierarchy.
2. Attend Common Room meetings
Raise academic issues at your JCR or MCR, they can feed into university-wide discussions through our Conference of Common Rooms.
3. Contact SU Officers
Our sabbatical officers represent students on the highest university committees and can escalate serious concerns directly to senior leadership.
Our standards for academic representation
These standards define what academic representation should look like at Oxford, informed by national best practice and aligned with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.
1. Transparency of structures
Every student should know who represents them and how the system works.
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Rep names and contacts published at start of each term
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Clear explanations of what reps do and their decision-making powers
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Visible pathways for student concerns to reach university leadership
2. Democratic and inclusive appointment
Representatives should be chosen fairly and be accountable to students.
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Course reps elected by their cohorts wherever possible
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Transparent appointment processes where elections aren't feasible
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Active efforts to ensure representation reflects student diversity
3. Training and development
Reps need tools and support to represent students effectively.
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Initial induction training for all new reps
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Ongoing skills development throughout the year
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One-to-one mentorship and support networks
4. Meaningful participation in decision-making
Student voice must be embedded in formal governance structures.
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Reps attend key committees with full speaking and voting rights
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Access to agendas, papers, and follow-up documentation
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Contributions treated with same seriousness as staff input
5. Effective feedback loops
Student input must lead to visible outcomes.
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Clear communication about what's been actioned and why
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Regular updates to the wider student body
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Tracking of institutional responses to student concerns
6. Inclusive and representative practice
Systems must work for all students, not just the majority.
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Specific consideration of postgraduate, international, disabled, part-time, self-funded and other underrepresented groups
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Proactive outreach to reduce barriers to participation
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Recognition of diverse learning experiences and needs
7. Recognition and rewards
The significant work of representation must be formally valued.
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Certificates, references, and LinkedIn recommendations
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Access to development opportunities and networking
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Integration with university employability initiatives
8. Clear escalation routes
Unresolved issues need structured pathways for resolution.
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Defined processes for moving concerns up governance levels
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Support for reps in navigating complex university structures
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Direct links to SU officers and university leadership
What we're working on
Research-led advocacy
Our approach combines student voice with rigorous policy research. In 2024-25, we delivered comprehensive reports on undergraduate assessment and cost of study, developed through extensive engagement with students across all divisions.
Current priorities
Assessment Reform Key finding: High-stakes, final-year assessments are a significant source of stress, particularly for disabled and care-experienced students.
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Reducing over-reliance on high-stakes final exams
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Improving assessment diversity and pedagogical alignment
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Better support for students with disabilities and care experience
Cost of Study Key finding: Costs associated with core study activities are inconsistently disclosed and funded across colleges.
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Tackling hidden costs like fieldwork, printing, and extended residence
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Improving transparency around course-related expenses
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Reforming stigmatising hardship application processes
Postgraduate Support Key finding: Self-funded students face considerable pressure with limited institutional acknowledgement.
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Better coordination of support for self-funded students
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Integrated disability provision across colleges and departments
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Flexible academic pathways for students with health conditions
Recent achievements
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Established Academic Representation Working Group with university administrators
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Launched comprehensive Rep Handbook and training programs
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Introduced termly reporting system to track issues and outcomes
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Developed formal recognition framework for rep contributions
Become a representative
Why representation matters for you
Being a student rep puts you at the heart of how Oxford works. You'll sit in meetings where real decisions get made about your course, your department, and your university experience.
You'll make real changes. Through the lobbying and campaigning work of previous Divisional Reps, the University voted to remove the Graduate Application Fee, saving students hundreds of pounds. Reps regularly push through improvements to teaching, assessment, and student support by feeding back concerns from students like you.
You'll develop skills that matter. Reps learn to analyse policies, run effective meetings, negotiate with senior academics, and present to university committees. These aren't just good for your CV, they're skills you'll use throughout your career.
You'll understand how Oxford actually works. Most students never see behind the scenes of university decision-making. As a rep, you'll understand the structures, the policy, and the people who shape your education.
You'll connect with people across the university. From other student reps to professors to senior administrators, you'll build relationships that extend far beyond your time at Oxford.
What's involved?
Course Reps:
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Attend Joint Consultative Committees and departmental meetings
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Gather systematic feedback from your cohort
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Work collaboratively with teaching staff on improvements
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Connect local issues to broader university policy discussions
Divisional Reps:
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Sit on high-level university committees with senior leadership
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Lead policy research projects on major student issues
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Coordinate representation across different governance levels
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Drive systemic change affecting thousands of students
Training and support
We provide comprehensive development because effective representation requires specific skills:
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Initial induction: Understanding Oxford's governance structures and your role within them
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Skills development: Policy analysis, committee effectiveness, public speaking, negotiation
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Ongoing coaching: One-to-one support with experienced staff members
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Peer networks: Connection with reps across divisions and other universities
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Recognition: Formal acknowledgment of your contributions for future opportunities
Ready to apply? [Course Rep applications] | [Divisional Rep applications]
Strategic priorities 2025-26
Academic Representation Conference 2026
Oxford's first university-wide Academic Representation Conference will bring together student reps, university staff, and college officers to strengthen collaborative governance and share sector-leading practice.
Connecting college and university representation
Working with Common Rooms to formalise college-level academic representation and create clear pathways from JCR/MCR concerns to divisional and university decision-making.
Rethinking the tutorial system
Beginning a major multi-phase research project examining Oxford's signature tutorial system, how it's experienced across subjects, divisions, and colleges, and how student voice can shape its future development.
Why this matters: The bigger picture
Academic representation at Oxford SU reflects our fundamental values as a democratic students' union. It's how we live our commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice in education.
It's structurally necessary: The University has legal obligations to include student representation in governance (Education Act 1994, Office for Students guidance).
It drives all our campaigns: Whether we're pushing for fair assessment, disability support, cost-of-living relief, or inclusive curricula, academic representation provides our insight and our channel for action.
It connects us with you: Every policy report we write, every recommendation we make in university committees, starts with students raising concerns through representation structures.
Academic representation ensures that Oxford's governance isn't just about students, it's with students, as equal partners in shaping one of the world's leading universities.
Get involved
Students
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Find your rep: [Rep directory and contact finder]
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Raise an issue: [Structured feedback form]
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Join training: [Upcoming development sessions]
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Apply to be a rep: [Current vacancy applications]
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Attend conferences: [Academic Rep Conference 2026 registration]
Staff and departments
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Support your reps: [Best practice guidance for departments]
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Join our working group: [Academic Representation Working Group]
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Access resources: [Training materials and governance templates]
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Partner with us: [Collaborative projects and research opportunities]
Questions?
Contact our team:
Academic representation is partnership in action between students, Oxford SU, and the University. Together, we're ensuring that student voice doesn't just influence Oxford's future, but actively shapes it.