Leadership Elections 2026
The Leadership Elections are your chance to choose the people who will shape student life at Southampton.
Being a Sabbatical Officer means making university life better for all students. You’ll represent students in key University meetings, speak up about their priorities, and help make meaningful changes across SUSU and the University. There’s even the chance to influence things on a national level.
This is a full‑time, paid role (around £26,000) that you can take on after your studies or as a year out.
What's it like being a Sabb?
Represent students on Clubs Societies Sustainability Safety Inclusion Accomodation University Life Mental Health Transport Facilities
How do the elections affect me?
The Student Leadership Elections play a key role in shaping the experience of every student at Southampton. This is your chance to choose Sabbatical Officers who will advocate for your interests and priorities.
Sabbatical Officers act as your voice, representing you on issues that matter most—such as academics, equality, diversity, inclusion, sports, and the overall governance of the Students’ Union. Their role is to ensure SUSU stays focused on delivering on its commitments and providing an exceptional student experience.
Where can you vote?
You can vote online from anywhere or you can come and see us between 10:30 – 16:00 at one of our stands if you want to vote in person.
- Tuesday 11th March – Building 42, WSA, Library
- Wednesday 12th March – Building 42, NOC
- Thursday 13th March – Building 42, Avenue
The Roles
Union President
Union President is the main figurehead of the Union, acting as the primary student spokesperson and the key liaison with the University.
The Union President will:
- Lead the Union
- Engage with University Governance, and advocate for students at the highest level
- Encourage participation with SUSU Democracy
- Lead on high level SUSU campaigns, in line with student priorities
VP Education
VP Education ensures students have a voice in the University, representing students’ academic interests and lobbying the University on key educational issues.
The VP Education will:
- Represent all students’ academic interests
- Ensure students have a voice in the University
- Represent academic communities and subject based societies
- Advocate for a healthy academic culture within the University
VP Inclusion
VP Inclusion ensures our diverse student population, underrepresented and liberation groups, have a voice in the University, lobbying on their behalf and advocating through inclusion campaigns.
The VP Inclusion will:
- Represent our diverse student population
- Represent the interests of international students
- Advocate for students at international campuses
- Lead on inclusion campaigns within the Union and the University
VP Communities
VP Communities represents Union Societies and community groups, advocating on their behalf to the University, and supporting and championing student-led events.
The VP Communities will:
- Represent and support affiliated societies
- Advocate for student’s housing and accommodation needs
- Champion student led events
- Represent students in the local community
VP Sports
VP Sports represents Team Southampton Clubs and Intramural Teams, advocating on their behalf to the University, and lobbying on key issues students face when using sports facilities.
The VP Sports will:
- Represent Team Southampton sports clubs and intramural teams
- Advocate for students who use sport facilities at the University
- Encourage active participation in sport
- Champion healthy lifestyle and wellbeing campaigns
Suggest a Friend
If running in our Elections isn’t for you, but you know someone who would be a fantastic Sabbatical Officer, you can put their name forward!
All you need to do is tell us their name, university email address and which role they would be perfect for, and we’ll get in touch!
FAQs
Applications
When are applications open?
Applications are open in our Leadership Elections from Monday, 26 January at 09:00 until Friday, 20 February at 16:00.
What should I include in my application?
Your application will include a short Candidate Statement – this sets out your ideas and plans for your term as a Sabbatical Officer, along with why you want to represent students and why they should vote for you. If you need some inspiration, you can read about the current student population and their priorities here: Student Insight Summary.
Your Candidate Statement can be up to 500 words long, and you will need to summarise it in up to five short bullet points. These are what most students will look at when deciding who to vote for, so make sure they are clear and eye-catching!
I’m having problems with my application or have some questions about the role, what do I do?
If you’re having any problems applying for a role or have any questions, please contact representation@susu.ac.uk.
How much work is involved with being a Sabbatical Officer
A Sabbatical Officer role is full-time and you will become a paid employee of the Union. If you have one or more years left at university, you will need to take a year out of your degree in order to be a Sabbatical Officer.
Who can run for a Sabbatical officer role? Do I need any previous experience?
Any student can run to be a Sabbatical Officer, whether you are an Undergraduate, Postgraduate Researcher or Postgraduate Taught student. If you’re looking for that next step after your studies, anyone who will be graduating this summer is still able to run for the role too.
You do not need any experience to come and work for the Union. All you need is to be a current student of the University, a passion for representing students and ideas for what you would like to achieve. We give full training and provide ongoing development opportunities for all our Sabbatical Officers. At the end of your year you will be able to evidence fantastic skills such as public speaking, budgeting, consultation, leadership and more.
Can international students run for a Sabbatical Officer?
Yes, if you have a standard student visa, you can run as a Sabbatical Officer. You must check that there are no specific restrictions on your student visa.
Can I fit being a Sabbatical Officer alongside family/caring commitments?
We appreciate students may have other commitments and we are happy to discuss with you about any flexibility you may need regarding working hours. Please speak to our Elections team at representation@soton.ac.uk for more information.
I’m an international student. Can I run in the Leadership Elections?
Yes! International students are absolutely welcome to run. And if you’re elected and need a visa to take up the role, SUSU will cover the full cost of the visa.
I’m a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) student, and I’m concerned about…
…my eligibility for a Sabbatical Officer role.
The role is open to students at every level of study including Undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD. You will have plenty of training and an induction programme provided to you when you first start to help you throughout your role. In addition, core members of staff at SUSU are here to support sabbatical officers throughout the year.
…whether I will be able to support myself financially as a Sabbatical Officer.
The sabbatical officer role is a full-time paid job. It has an annual salary of circa £26,000, which will be paid in monthly installments (less income tax, national insurance and pension contributions) from the end of your first month in the role (July 2025) until the end of your last month in the role (June 2026).
…my start date in the Sabbatical Officer role conflicting with my final assessment submission.
As a sabbatical officer, you are a member of SUSU staff and as such will be entitled to Annual Leave, which can be used to take some time off to finish your dissertation. There is also some flexibility in working hours for those finishing their dissertation, so please do speak to the Elections team at representation@soton.ac.uk to discuss this.
I’m a Postgraduate Research (PGR) student, and I’m concerned about…
…my eligibility for the Sabbatical Officer role.
The role is open to students at every level of study including undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD. You will have plenty of training and an induction programme provided to you when you first start to help you throughout your role. In addition, core members of staff at SUSU are here to support sabbatical officers throughout the year.
…the need to gain employable skills after graduating.
As a Sabbatical Officer, you will be a full-time member of staff and will gain a wealth of experience, training, and skills throughout your time in office. You will improve your future employability while receiving recognition for the work that you accomplish.
…whether I will be able to support myself financially as a Sabbatical Officer.
The sabbatical officer role is a full-time paid job. It has an annual salary of circa £26,000, which will be paid in monthly installments (less income tax, national insurance and pension contributions) from the end of your first month in the role (July 2025) until the end of your last month in the role (June 2026).
…interrupting my work on my thesis to take on a Sabbatical Officer role.
If you are midway through your thesis, we would advise that you talk to your supervisor and see if they agree with a year of suspension while you gain some work experience. If you are close to your submission date, we can offer flexibility in your working hours, or you can take annual leave to complete your submission in the first few months of your role.
Please speak to our Elections team at representation@soton.ac.uk for more information.
Where can I view the Leadership Election Rules 2026?
You can view the Leadership Elections Rules here.
I have a complaint, what do I do?
If you believe a candidate has broken any of the Election Rules then you can make a complaint using the Election Complaint Form.
Please see the full SUSU Elections Complaints Procedure here.
Voting
When is voting open?
Voting is open in our Leadership Elections from Tuesday 10 March 2026 at 09:00 until Thursday 12 March 2026 at 16:00.
I’m having problems voting, what should I do?
If you are having trouble voting please email us at representation@soton.ac.uk along with your username, your course, and your year of study.
Where can I view the Leadership Elections Rules?
You can view the Leadership Elections Rules here.
I have a complaint, what do I do?
If you believe a candidate has broken any of the Election Rules then you can make a complaint using the Election Complaint Form.
Please see the full SUSU Elections Complaints Procedure here.
