Training for student representatives

Stockholm University’s training programme for student representatives is designed to support you in your assignment and legal right to influence your education. The target group for this training are student representatives at a departmental level, but the training is also relevant for representatives at other levels of the University as well as for University staff.

During the training you will learn about your rights and responsibilities as a student representative. You will also learn what aspects you can influence, the kind of support you can get, how the University is organised, as well as a lot of other useful things.

The training provides a structured approach to navigating the assignment:

  • Parti 1: Being a new student representative
  • Part 2: Being a student representative
  • Part 3: End of assignment and handing over

Each of the three parts is divided into a number of sections which contain short films where you will meet teachers, management and student representatives.

In some sections there are one or more tasks for you to do, such as reading the governing document “Regulations for student influence” and answering questions about your rights and responsibilities. Please note that the training is not assessed and does not give you any credits.

Good luck!

The training has been developed in close cooperation with the Stockholm University Student Union (SUS). The films with teachers, management and student representatives were recorded on Zoom. The films are subtitled in English and Swedish.

The structure of the training

Welcome!

In this section of the training we describe how the training programme is structured and how you, as a student representative, will benefit from it.

Part 1 – Being a new student representative

Part 1 helps you as a new student representative to get started with your assignment.

In this section you will learn about Stockholm University’s view on student influence, for example that the students are seen as active co-creators. You will meet Astrid Söderbergh Widding, former President of Stockholm University. She was also a student representative once.

In this section you will learn about five important ways to influence your education.

Task: Read the website Influence your education.

As a new student representative, you have a right to an introduction to the body or group that you have joined. You will see, as an example, how the Department of Human Geography introduces its new student representatives.

This section deals with your rights and responsibilities and where you can read more about them. The film ends with a quiz.

Task: Read Regulations for student influence and test your knowledge by doing the quiz.

Please note that the quiz in the film can only be run on a computer. Also note that the quiz is in Swedish. If you prefer to do the quiz in English, you will find it translated in the document below.

Quiz pdf, 87.3 kB.

Part 2 – Being a student representative

Now you have gained more knowledge and it is time to concentrate on some questions which are important to be aware of during your assignment.

What can you influence as a student representative and where in the organisation can this be done? You will get examples from different parts of the University organisation and tips on how to find out ways to influence your own department.

Task: Find and read the department’s decision-making and delegation policy, or a similar document. Please note that the name of this document can vary from department to department and it may not be translated into English. If this is the case, book a meeting with the head of department or the director of studies or another person who can tell you more.

Course and programme syllabi govern and support the education at the first and second cycles. You will learn how they work, what you can influence in these documents and how to do it. You will also find out how you can use governing documents or regulations in order to understand the contents of the syllabi.

Task: Find the governing documents for course and programme syllabi for your faculty and department.

Individual study plans and general syllabi govern and support the third-cycle courses and study programmes and may be brought up in the department board. You will receive tips on various governing documents, such as handling procedures, templates and regulations for how the plans shall be written and presented. The governing documents provide good support when you need to understand the content of individual study plans and general syllabi.

Task: Find the governing documents for individual study plans and general syllabi.

This section is about the organisation of the University and gives you general facts.

Task: Find out how your department is organised, for example through its website.

How do you get support and help during your assignment as a student representative? This section of the training will walk you through the support you can get from the Stockholm University Student Union.

Part 3 – End of assignment and handing over

Like all assignments, your assignment as a student representative will eventually end. You will then hand over your assignment to a new representative and get a certificate that you can add to your CV. Perhaps you want to move on to new assignments as a student representative. You may also wonder what experiences as a student representative that will be useful in your working life. This is what you will learn in here.

This section provides tips on how you can go about handing over your assignment to your successor.

As a student representative you are compensated for your assignment. You will learn where you find more information about this.

In this film we walk you through how you get your certificates. You can get a certificate of meeting attendance as well as one for your assignment. If you are a PhD student representative you may need the first certificate in order to extend your PhD studentship. The second certificate can be added to your CV when you apply for a job.

As a student representative you have many possibilities to make what we can call a “career”. Sofia Holmdal, former president of SUS, tells about her career as a student representative. As a student representative you gain quite a lot of useful skills and experiences for your working life. Sofia ends your training by telling more about this.

Contact

If you have questions about student representation, you can contact the Stockholm University Student Union through studentombud@sus.se.

If you are a student at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, DSV, you can contact the Student union DISK through studiebevakning@disk.su.se.

If you are a student at Stockholm Business School, Departments of Economics or Department of Statistics , please contact Föreningen Ekonomerna (the Business Association at Stockholm University) at studentombud@foreningenekonomerna.se.

Last updated: 2026-01-14

Source: Office of the President

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