Student Life and your Students’ Union

As a student at Cardiff University, you automatically become a member of your Students’ Union. As your Union, our purpose is to:

• promote the interests and welfare of our students during their course of study and representing, supporting and advising students;
• be the recognised representative channel between students, Cardiff University and any other external bodies; and,
• provide social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of our students.

Throughout the pandemic, your Students’ Union has worked to transition support services online to continue to provide a great experience for our members. You are now able to seek support from our exceptional Advice Team, attend an online training course from our Skills Development Service and register for our Jobshop service, all from the comfort of your home – making us more accessible than ever before. We have been working with our student groups to support them, where possible, to engage students and building communities online.

For the latest news on what is open see here.

How to get involved

Things are certainly very different at the moment but the Students' Union is working hard to make sure you can still make new connections and get involved in the student community.

• Associations. The Campaign Officers also have Associations that they are part of. These are students from the same minority groups. Each Association is different, some are used to facilitate and arrange socials and events whereas others are seen to be more political and a sounding board for campaign ideas.
• Athletic Union. The Athletic Union are the home of student sport at Cardiff University. They facilitate over 65 student-led sports clubs and offer 5000+ students the opportunity to represent Cardiff regionally, nationally and beyond.
• Cardiff Volunteering. Cardiff Volunteering offers a wide variety of different and exciting projects to choose from which you can fit around your University schedule, as well as loads of one-off events and summer volunteering opportunities.
• Cardiff Student Media. Student media is always on the look-out for new recruits. There's no typical member - those involved are from a very diverse range of backgrounds, studying everything from physics to philosophy, and as long as you've got passion and enthusiasm, you'll be welcomed aboard.
• Give it a Go. Give it a Go’ is a Students' Union initiative which aims to showcase opportunities and taster sessions available from Clubs, Societies and Student Groups. It allows students to try a club or society for a one off cost, before they commit to membership. The vast majority of clubs and societies will run an introductory session and brand it as their 'Give it a Go'.
• Jobshop. The Jobshop is a free student employment service which aims to find paid work for registered Cardiff University students.
• Skills Development Service. The Skills Development Service (SDS) provides a range of training courses and sessions designed to build confidence, improve transferable skills and increase employability to learners interested in developing for their future after graduation with the added bonus of gaining certification.
• Societies. Society memberships are available throughout the academic year so it's never too late to join any of our Societies. With over 200 Societies to choose from, there's something to suit everyone.
• Student-Led Services. Student-Led Services are student groups that run similarly to societies and sports clubs, but have a specific purpose that they campaign for. SLSs are at the heart of the Students' Union in providing support for students with wellbeing needs.
• Student Voice. The Student Voice team work with Academic Reps and PGR Reps to ensure that the student voice is heard at every level of the university. You can be a Rep too, just get in touch with us at StudentReps@cardiff.ac.uk. You can also be involved in the decisions made by your Students' Union by becoming a student senator, a member of the scrutiny committee or part of the Officer's Executive Committee. Get in touch at Elections@cardiff.ac.uk to find out more.

Elected Officers

The Students’ Union has seven Sabbatical Officer positions that are democratically elected by the student population of Cardiff University. The Sabbatical Officer positions are held by the elected student representatives for 12 month terms. These students take the political lead of the organisation, and campaign for the changes that you want to see in your student life.

If you have any concerns that you want to be raised to the University, suggestions that you want the team to consider, or questions that you want to ask the Sabbatical Officers, find out how to get in touch here.

The Students’ Union also has 10 Campaign Officer Posts that are democratically elected alongside the Sabbatical Officer positions, that you can get involved in. Similarly, these officers campaign for political changes within the Union and University to ensure that the institution is a reflection of needs and demands of the student population.

Student Advice

Student Advice is a free, confidential and independent service available for students of Cardiff University. We are independent of the University and our role is to give you impartial advice and guidance and help you understand the options available to you.

If you would like to contact the Student Advice Service, you can:

• Email us at advice@cardiff.ac.uk.
• Call us on 02920 781410 (between 09:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday).
• Complete the webform that appear at the bottom of our webpages.
• Chat with us by clicking the Chat live with us icon in the bottom right hand corner of our website.

Contact Student Advice

Advice@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 (0)2920 781410