UPSU Elections Info 2025 - Could I be an Officer?

UPSU Elections Info 2025

Nominations are now closed for the 2025/26 Student Elections!

Voting week opens 9am on Monday 3rd March and closes 1pm on Thursday 6th March! Keep an eye on our socials and emails as we announce this years candidates!

Who will you vote for?

Nominate yourself today!

Thinking you may want to run for a position?

What's in it for me?

As a full-time Elected Officer this is your chance to improve the experience of students, develop lots of new skills and become more employable all while helping to lead a million-pound business!

Training in key skills is provided but you will need to be passionate about the work of the Students' Union and enhancing the student experience here at the University of Portsmouth.

What does it mean to be an Elected Officer?

All Officers share key responsibilities, with each role contributing to the overall leadership and success of the Students’ Union. Here's what you need to know about their work:

As an Officer:

Officers are student leaders who represent the voice of the student body. They work closely with the University to ensure decisions reflect students’ needs and feedback, driving positive changes that enhance the student experience. Throughout their year in office, they:

Represent students to the Union, University, and external partners.
Lead campaigns and initiatives to improve education and student life.
Engage with students to gather opinions and act on feedback through forums like Student Council and The Lab.
Support student-led campaigns and Union-wide engagement efforts.

As a Trustee and Director:

Officers also serve as Trustees of the Students’ Union, helping guide its strategy and ensure its financial stability and legal compliance. Key responsibilities include:

Protecting the Union from reputational, financial, and legal risks.
Overseeing the Union’s long-term goals and sustainability.

Acting as Directors for the Union’s trading company, ensuring financial targets are met and supporting future growth.

Check out more information about the new roles below!

You can also keep up to date with what the current Officer team are up to on Instagram.

Check out some of our previous videos and hear from previous Officers on why this opportunity is one of the best you will come across!

Where will it take you?

Hear from a range of previous Officers from across the years and learn how this opportunity can really take you places!

What will you get from it?

We speak to 3 previous Officers about what they gained from their time as Officers, what they found most surprising and their favourite parts of being elected.

HTM Interview Elections2022.mp4

Ex-Welfare Officer, Hayley

Hayley spoke to us in 2022 about what she loved about being Welfare Officer and how she got involved in the Elections

Mike FINAL.mp4

Ex-Development Officer, Mike

We chatted to Mike about why he ran to be Development Officer, and how he wanted to use the role to improve opportunities for groups and societies

Ok, I think I might want to nominate myself. What do I do?

Nominations are now closed for the 2025/26 Student Elections!

Voting week opens 9am on Monday 3rd March and closes 1pm on Thursday 6th March! Keep an eye on our socials and emails as we announce this years candidates!

Who will you vote for?

Elections Platform

Wait, I still have some questions. What even is a manifesto?

We get it, for a lot of you the Student Elections can seem really overwhelming with information. But don't worry, we provide so much training and support to ensure you stand the best chance of running engaging campaigns ahead of voting opening. You can contact elections@upsu.net at any time with any questions, but you can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Officers even make any impactful change?

Elected Officers have been instrumental in introducing big changes at Portsmouth over the years - £10k funding for suicide prevention training for personal tutors, free zoom access for all students, development of the sexual harassment policy, online submission for work, improved bus routes, 24 hour library opening – The list goes on. There are also many more examples of smaller changes that improve things for students. If you put your mind to it, you can and will drive change!

Can I run if I'm in my first or second year?

Yes you can. If you’re elected, you can speak to your School about taking a year out to serve as an Officer.

Can I run if I'm a Postgrad?

Yes, students at any level of study can run in UPSU Elections – we even work with Schools across the Uni to make sure they support you in running. You might be particularly interested in the Academic Representation or the Learning Experience role to represent fellow postgraduates, but you’re welcome to run for any of the roles if you’re a PG student.

Do I get paid to be a full-time Officer or is it voluntary?

Ah the big ticket question. You'll be happy to know that this is a paid position and you get a salary of £23,500 for the year.

Can I run if I'm an international student?

To be appointed as an Elected Officer you must be eligible to work in the UK. Should you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact student-visa@port.ac.uk to speak to the Uni's specialist international student team about visa advice.

What position should I run for?

If you've read the information above and you still aren't sure which role is for you, then feel free to email elections@upsu.net to have a discussion with a member of Union staff about which role may suit what you would like to achieve.

Can I run for more than one position?

Woah there! We love your enthusiasm, but it’s only one position per person.

I'm not sure if I am the right type of person?

In short there is no such thing as the 'right sort of person'! Every year different people with different views, ideas and experiences win. You can make the position your own and we, the Students' Union, will help support you along the way! Just because the current officers have focused on a certain area, it doesn't mean you have to.

Isn't it just a popularity contest?

Nope. Previous Elected Officers have come from all walks of University life – what unites them is their desire to improve the Portsmouth student experience. As long as you have great ideas and a passion for creating change, you’ll make a great candidate.

I don't have a lot of time spare - will I be able to campaign?

You sure can. Even one hour a week is enough time to run an excellent campaign. We’ll work with you to help you create the best campaign possible with the time you have. We’ve even had amazing Officer campaigns during lockdown that successfully got them elected when they couldn't even campaign on campus. You can always get your friends, housemates and course mates to help out as your campaign team.

What is a campaign team? What if I don't have one?

A campaign team is a group of your friends who have committed to helping you campaign. They might talk to students on your behalf, help put up posters, or perhaps assist you with social media.

Don’t worry too much if you haven’t got a huge campaign team. You’ll get lots of support from us in regards to your campaign and tactics to use. The most important thing is that you’re willing to go out and talk to students – that’s the best way to win votes.

And if I win? What happens?

If you win you will spend the next year leading the Union and working on projects and campaigns to improve the lives of students. It’s a full-time salaried job, and will give you a great experience for your next steps. You will start your term in June but we'll keep in touch along the way to get you off to the best start in the role.

How are the votes counted?

We use a system called single transferable vote. It's a much fairer way of voting and means voters get a bit more of a say, by ranking candidates from most to least favourable. So if your top pick doesn’t win, there’s a really good chance someone else you like will get in and no voting power is wasted.

You can learn about the voting system here.

Still got questions? Send them over to us at elections@upsu.net and we'll get back to you asap!

Or pop in to the Union reception to chat to a member of staff.

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