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Student Referendum

Should Aston Students' Union disaffiliate from NUS UK?

On Tuesday 14th October 2025, the Students' Union Council voted to pass a motion calling for a referendum on whether Aston Students' Union should disaffiliate from NUS UK. This means the question will now be put to a vote of the full current student membership.

The motion below was voted on and approved by SU Council, and forms the basis of the referendum question:

"This motion proposes that Aston Students' Union should disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS UK) due to concerns about representation, accountability, and value for money. It highlights that NUS UK, a political membership body separate from NUS Charity, has faced criticism for inadequate representation of marginalised students and weak national campaigning. The motion argues that the £25,098 annual affiliation fee could be better used to support student-led initiatives at Aston."

Get Involved

Click here to vote Complaints form View rules

Voting Details

All current Aston University students can cast their vote through an online ballot.

  • Campaigning startsMonday 23rd March, 10:00
  • Voting opensTuesday 24th March, 10:00
  • Voting closesThursday 26th March, 15:00
  • Vote countThursday 26th March
  • Results announcedVia the Students' Union website

What does being a part of NUS UK mean?

Aston Students' Union is currently a member of NUS UK. Being affiliated means:

  • Taking part in national lobbying on issues affecting students.
  • Paying an annual membership fee of £25,098.40 to NUS UK.

What is the National Union of Students (NUS)?

The National Union of Students (NUS) is the national organisation representing university and college students across the UK. It works to achieve national change for students, campaigning on issues that affect education and student life. NUS is one of the world's largest student movements and brings together students, educators, activists, and advocates to make education accessible, enjoyable, and lifelong. It aims to ensure students' voices are heard, protect their interests, and address challenges across society. Find out more on their website.

What is Aston Students' Union's current membership?

Aston Students' Union is currently a dual member, meaning we are part of both NUS UK and NUS Charity. These memberships do different things, cost different amounts, and only one of them is included in the upcoming referendum.

NUS UK

What is it? The national organisation that campaigns for students and represents student voices at a national level.

What does it do? NUS UK leads national campaigns and provides political representation and lobbying on issues affecting students.

NUS Charity

What is it? The support and development arm of NUS. It is not political, and instead focuses on helping Students' Unions run well.

What does it do? NUS Charity provides training, governance and operational support, and helps to develop Students' Unions.

The Debate

Take a look at what it means when you vote to leave or remain.

Vote Yes

To disaffiliate from NUS UK
  • Aston Students' Union would save money on the annual membership fee, which would be reinvested back into the Students' Union.
  • We would no longer take part in NUS democratic structures such as conferences, and would work more directly with other students' unions to influence national government.
  • We would still hold membership of NUS Charity, including union development resources, trading support, election support and other services.

Vote No

To remain affiliated to NUS UK
  • We would continue to pay our annual membership fee, which gives us access to training, resources and support that would otherwise have to be funded differently.
  • National representation gives us the benefit of any national lobbying campaigns NUS UK undertakes.
  • We would retain the right to vote and have a voice in shaping national student policy through NUS conferences.

Vote Yes Case

Statement from the Vote Yes Campaign Team

Vote YES to disaffiliate from NUS UK.

Aston Students' Union pays over £25,000 every year in NUS UK affiliation fees. Your money that could instead fund societies, mental health support, academic resources, and student life right here on campus. Yet the NUS delivers little meaningful impact for Aston students, with many of its services accessible independently or through alternative providers, making this a poor return on investment.

At the same time, the NUS no longer operates in a way that genuinely represents students. Democratic participation has been replaced with structures most students have never heard of, leaving you without a real voice in decisions made in your name.

More importantly, when students across the country have needed support the most, the NUS has repeatedly failed to act. Students facing disciplinary action for activism, international students affected by visa changes, and those raising concerns about Palestine and Islamophobia have seen little meaningful advocacy.

Even worse, NUS has even taken punitive actions toward its own student officers for speaking out against the Genocide, rather than standing alongside them.

With high costs, weak representation, and declining relevance, continued affiliation is increasingly difficult to justify. Disaffiliation is not about isolation, it is about accountability. It means reinvesting in Aston students, strengthening our own union, and ensuring that decisions about our money and our future are made here, by the students they affect.

This is your chance to decide how your Students' Union operates and where your money goes.

Vote YES. Take back control for Aston students.

Vote No Case

Statement from NUS UK

What is NUS?

NUS is the national voice of students, and our sole mission is to win for students. NUS UK brings together over 400 member students' unions across the UK to campaign as a united national student movement. Students created SUs to build collective power on our campuses, realising that we are stronger when we work together. SUs then created NUS to harness this power nationally and direct it to the government and decision makers. By being members of NUS UK, Aston students contribute to the national student voice by feeding in your experiences and your priorities.

What does NUS campaign on?

NUS UK campaigns on the big issues impacting your time at university, from student poverty to housing, and from international students' rights to transport. Being a member of NUS is about working together. Over the past two years we've banned your landlord from charging more than one month's rent up front, because over 50 campuses came together to campaign for it, including Aston. The more of us there are, the more impact we can have. We ensure students are represented to government and the education sector, and we run the All Party Parliamentary Group for Students, ensuring student voices are heard by MPs and decision makers.

What has NUS won for students recently?

Over the last year and a half, we have won:

  • An extra £1.2m for Aston students, thanks to a raise in student maintenance.
  • The reintroduction of maintenance grants for the poorest students.
  • Saved the Graduate Route Visa for international students.
  • A 3.1% increase to the maintenance loan.
  • Votes at 16, increasing electoral power for students and young people.
  • Student protections limiting early sign-on and rent up front in the Renters' Rights Bill.

Students' Union Neutrality Statement

Aston Students' Union remains neutral in this referendum and does not take a position on the outcome. Our role is solely to ensure that the process is run fairly and in line with our democratic procedures.

Student-led campaigns. Any campaigns created by students during the referendum are independent and do not represent the official views of Aston Students' Union. The Students' Union is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, any campaign content.

Staff facilitation. The referendum is administered by paid Students' Union staff who act in a strictly impartial capacity. Staff involved have no affiliations to any campaign and are responsible only for facilitating a fair and transparent vote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have a complaint?

Complaints can be submitted via our complaints form here.

Does this affect our membership to NUS Charity?

This referendum is specifically about disaffiliation from NUS UK, the political arm of NUS. Membership of NUS Charity will not be affected.

Is a minimum number of votes needed for the referendum to count?

Yes. This referendum needs to meet a quorum requirement of at least 4% of the membership.

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