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Nominations for this years Teaching Awards are now open. Make someone's day.

Impact

The Union's impact has been reviewed for the 2023/24 academic year and has been broken down into our key areas of work: Voice and Experiences, as well as Inclusivity and Student Support & Wellbeing.

Experiences

Within the Experiences area of our work, we focus on activities which can create a sense of community, connection and belonging for our students, as well as look at ways we can support students to feel confidence and career ready.

7 in 10

Estimated number of students engaging and participating in Union services and activities.

7.5 / 10

Overall satisfaction with The Union from Manchester Met students.

Key takeaways

23 Welcome events held

3,453 society members

66 new societies

1,000 members of academic societies

4,120 students attended International events

Experiences highlights

  • Academic Society membership has risen from 883 in 2022/23 to 999 in 2023/24
  • Post Covid, we've seen our highest levels of participation in societies and sports
  • Both The Union and student groups are staging and attracting greater student attendance to events
  • Our January 2023 Welcome Fair was a key success, with 2,300 students in attendance

Experiences: What our students have told us

80%

Think The Union is welcoming and inclusive to all types of students.

72%

Agree that The Union offers a wide range of sports, clubs and societies that they can get involved with.

69%

Agree that The Union provides a wide range of activities and events that they can get involved with.

69%

Think The Union provides social and recreational spaces that meet their needs.

68%

Say The Union makes it easy for students to get involved.

65%

Agree that The Union is a great place to be.

Higher scores

Those students who regularly engage with The Union are more likely to give higher scores for these measures than those who don't.

Voice

In the Voice area of our work, we focus on the amplification of student voice, lobbying and campaigning and representation to create a culture which is driven by our students' needs.

Key takeaways

1,088 Teaching Awards nominations

1,610 active Course Reps

25% international student voter turnout

3,000 students shared their views through research activities

I feel happy being a Course Rep.

I feel as though I am valued by staff members and my peers.

...In all, it's helped me gain leadership confidence.

Annual Course Rep survey, 2024

Voice highlights

  • We've seen a significant increase in voter turnout over the past 2 years for the Student Officer Elections
  • We've also seen a clear increase in Course Reps in the last two years and we now have representatives for every department
  • In the NSS, we are +4pp above sector and have been tracking above sector for the past two years

Voice: What our students have told us

65%

Feel The Union listens to student ideas and feedback.

64%

Think The Union represents the views of students effectively.

64%

Feel The Union's decisions are driven by student voice.

63%

Agree that The Union represents students on the right academic issues.

62%

Think The Union effectively represents students academic interests.

60%

Agree they can share their views and experiences with The Union on things that matter to them.

Positive increases

Our Annual Survey has indicated positive increases across all Student Voice metrics.

Inclusivity

The Union celebrates diversity and pushes for equality - we want to be a place where everyone feels welcome and valued. The following impact statements show we're heading in the right direction in this area:

  • 80% of students agree that The Union is welcoming and inclusive to all types of students
  • Since the launch of our international project in 2021, we're staging more events for international students
  • 194 international events were held and over 8000 students attended these events
  • Culture Fest entered it’s second year, welcoming 1450 attendees and achieving an 85% satisfaction rate

If anyone is having issue integrating into university, especially International Students, please visit The Union...

...everyone there is so warm and welcoming and [they] do their best to resolve any kind of student issues.

Annual Survey respondent, 2024

Student Support and Wellbeing

With a deep understanding of student life, we provide reliable support, making sure students' needs are met with care and expertise. We're so proud that our independent Advice team has helped students in the following ways:

  • In the 2023/24 academic year, our Advice Centre supported 2497 students with academic, finance and housing issues
  • Our advisors supported students to gain £276,612 by helping them correct their student finance applications and applying for government benefits such as Personal Independence Payments