What do you want? Speak up as a student!

At Hasselt University, students are at the heart of everything we do – not just in education, but also in shaping policy. Your voice matters at every level, from your degree program to the Board of Governors. Student participation is embedded in the DNA of our university. Whether it's the interaction between students, between students and lecturers, or between students and the institution – at UHasselt, students think along, speak up, and help decide.

We place great importance on student participation. Why? Because as a student, you bring unique insights and experiences that can improve both education and the university as a whole. Critical reflections, fresh ideas, suggestions for improvement – they truly make a difference.

Want to make an impact? Speak up!
Below, you’ll find all the information about the different roles and commitments you can take on.

Is this your first time exploring what it means to be a student representative at UHasselt?
Take the quiz below (Dutch only) to discover which type of engagement suits you best!

As explained above, student participation at UHasselt takes place on three levels: the program, the faculty or school, and the institution. Each level offers opportunities to think along, help make decisions, and create real impact. Below, you’ll find the different types of engagement you can take on at each of these levels.

The Educational Management Team (EMT) oversees the content, structure, and quality of your study program. This includes smaller decisions – like adjusting course titles or exam regulations – as well as bigger topics such as analyzing evaluation results, surveying alumni or professional partners, and even overhauling the entire curriculum or drafting a strategic plan for the coming years.

Every bachelor’s and master’s program at UHasselt has its own EMT. Students make up one-third of the voting members, which means your input as a student is essential. You help ensure that decisions are considered from the student’s point of view beforehand, and you play a key role in evaluating them afterward based on real student experiences. Your voice truly makes a difference.

Interested in joining the EMT for your program? Get in touch with the current EMT students for more information, or contact the EMT chair to put yourself forward as a candidate.

As an EMT student, you’ll also take part in the evaluation meetings for your program. In addition, at least one EMT student gets involved in the FORUM at faculty or school level. Think that could be you? Reach out to your facco (faculty coordinator)!

In the evaluation meetings, you sit down as a student with lecturers, the EMT chair, and the academic advisor. It’s your chance to give direct feedback on how the courses are going so far. How are the classes progressing? Are the objectives, content, assessments, and study materials clear? Is the workload manageable? Because these meetings take place around the middle of the term, there’s still time to address any issues during the teaching period.

Each study year has a core group of two students who take part in every evaluation meeting. They provide continuity and represent their year throughout the academic year. Other students are also welcome to join one or more meetings on a voluntary basis.

As a student representative in these meetings, you gather input from your fellow students in advance and bring that feedback to the table in a constructive way. Together with the lecturers, EMT chair, and academic advisor, you discuss what’s going well and what could be improved. By engaging in open dialogue, you actively help strengthen the quality of education in your program.

Interested in becoming a core student for the evaluation meetings of your study year?
Reach out to the academic advisor of your program to put yourself forward as a candidate.

Of course, you can still participate in evaluation meetings as an individual member. The academic advisor informs students about the evaluation meeting via email or through My Timetable. Sometimes only a specific group of students is invited. However, you are always free to join. To do so, contact the academic advisor.

Not looking for a long-term commitment as a student representative, but still want to share your opinion now and then? Then make sure to complete the educational surveys!

Each teaching period, you'll be invited to fill out online surveys about individual course units, your teachers and the overall program experience. You’ll receive an email prompting you to complete the surveys in your student file. Your feedback is processed completely anonymously.

The FORUM – short for Facultaire OverlegRaad voor Universitair Medezeggenschap or Faculty Consultation Council for University Participation– is the consultation platform where student representatives from a faculty or school come together. Agenda items include issues within individual programs or the faculty as a whole, as well as matters that will later be voted on by the Student Council (StuRa).

The FORUM is chaired by the faculty coordinator (facco). Other members include the deputy of the facco, at least one EMT student per program and the Educa of the student society linked to that faculty or school. Additional student representatives are also invited, such as core students from the course evaluation meetings and extra EMT students. Finally, all students from the faculty or school are welcome to join and make their voices heard.

Want to join the FORUM as a non-core member? Reach out to your facco to attend the next meeting!

Each faculty or school elects a faculty coordinator (facco) and a deputy directly by and from the students of that faculty or school.

As a facco, you ensure that student participation runs smoothly within your faculty or school, and you serve as the main point of contact for all related matters. You chair the FORUM meetings and attend the Faculty Council or the (Inter)faculty School Board whenever student-relevant topics are on the agenda. Together with your deputy, you also represent your faculty or school in the Student Council (StuRa).

Interested in becoming a faculty coordinator?
Keep an eye on your mailbox! The facco role is an elected position. Between April and May, you can apply through your student file. Elections take place in May, and all students from your faculty or school can vote. Want more info? Reach out to the current facco or the dean of your faculty or school.

At the institutional level, the Student Council (StuRa) plays a central role. StuRa coordinates student participation across the university and ensures that the student voice is heard in every corner of UHasselt.

StuRa meets once a month in a General Assembly (GA). During these meetings, members report on what’s happening within the various FORUMs, and give updates on the work of working groups, councils, and committees. A smooth flow of information and alignment allows StuRa to represent well-supported student perspectives on topics such as education, student services, wellbeing, mobility, and more.

The Student Council is made up of 25 voting members:

• 2 representatives per faculty or school (the facco and their deputy)

• 5 board members: the chair, vice-chair for working groups, vice-chair for councils and committees, finance officer and secretary (in charge of practical and organizational matters)

Want to know more? Check out the StuRa website or visit their page on Facebook or Instagram.
You can also reach out directly via stura@uhasselt.be.

Interested in taking on a board position within StuRa yourself? Submit a motivated application to the current board by 15 September. Applications will be discussed within the FORUMs of the faculties and schools, followed by a vote in StuRa itself.

Even if you're not a member of the Student Council, you can still get involved at the institutional level. For example, you can join a working group or take a seat on a council or committee where student representation is essential.

You're not an official member of StuRa, but your input absolutely counts. You report back to the relevant vice-chair (either the Vice-Chair for Working Groups or Vice-Chair for Councils and Committees), who brings your perspective to the General Assembly of StuRa.

Some examples of working groups include:

• Events
• Communication (e.g. website and social media)
• Campus and facilities
• Elections
• Mobility
• Coaching and professional development
• Working groups tied to StuRa's strategic priorities
• …

UHasselt students are also represented in a number of internal and external councils and committees, such as:

• The Board of Governors
• The Executive Council
• The Education Council
• The Council for Student Services
• The Internationalisation Council
• The Library Committee
• The Food Committee
• The Disciplinary Committee for Students
• The Student Societies Council
• The Associations Dispute Committee
• The Elections Committee for student representative elections
• The Board of Governors, General Assembly, and Student Council of the Association University-Colleges Limburg (AUHL)
• The Flemish Union of Students (VVS)

Want to get involved at the institutional level? Whether you're interested in joining a working group or taking a seat in a council or committee - your voice truly matters. Reach out to the vice-chairs via stura@uhasselt.be for more information and an overview of available opportunities.

Student Participation Regulation

In close collaboration with StuRa, UHasselt has developed a Student Participation Regulation. This document outlines the rights and responsibilities of student representatives, the structure and functioning of student participation at all levels of the university, as well as the support and recognition offered to student representatives.

Click here to view the Student Participation Regulation (Dutch only). 

Operating Regulations

Each FORUM and the Student Council also has its own operating regulation, which transparently outlines how the council functions internally. These documents are always aligned with UHasselt’s student participation regulation and the Higher Education Codex.

Each FORUM is free to tailor its regulation to match the structure and needs of its faculty or (inter)faculty school. The operating regulations will be published at the start of academic year 2025–2026 on BlackBoard, and will be publicly available to all students and staff of that faculty or school.

The Student Council’s operating regulation will also be published at the start of academic year 2025–2026 on the StuRa website, where it will be accessible to all UHasselt students and staff.

Code of Conduct

All student representatives in the Student Council, FORUMs, EMTs, and the evaluation meeting cores sign a Code of Conduct at the start of their term. By doing so, they commit to carrying out their role respectfully and ethically. The Code of Conduct supports student representatives in acting with integrity, care, and constructiveness at all times.

Click here to view the Code of Conduct (Dutch only).

Facilities for student representatives

As a student representative at UHasselt, you are recognized under the official student representative status. This means you are entitled to a number of educational and exam facilities that help you balance your commitment with your studies.

This status applies to:

• Members of the Student Council (StuRa)
• Members of the FORUMs
• EMT students
• Core students involved in evaluation meetings

As a student representative, you are entitled to the following:

• You may attend classes in a different group if needed due to your representative duties. This should always be arranged in consultation with the teacher and your study career counsellor, to whom you must submit your student representative certificate.
• If you miss a class due to a meeting of a university body or external council, your absence is considered justified. If the session requires mandatory attendance, you and the teacher will work together to find a suitable solution. Don’t forget to present your certificate here as well.

Programmes will make reasonable efforts to schedule meetings (like EMTs or evaluation meetings) in ways that avoid conflicts with classes or exams of the involved students.

You can request your student representative certificate from the student participation coach.

Recognition of your engagement

As a token of appreciation for their involvement, students who actively participate in student representation through StuRa, the FORUMs, the EMTs, or as a core evaluation student will receive an official certificate from UHasselt at the end of the academic year. This certificate includes the roles you held as a student representative.

Additionally, some degree programmes may choose to award curricular or extracurricular credits for your engagement. Currently, this is offered in certain master's programmes within the Faculty of Industrial Engineering Sciences (IIW):

• Civil Engineering Technology: Stage - Bouwkunde
• Chemical Engineering Technology: Employability skills en levenslang leren
• Electromechanical Engineering Technology: Industrieel beleid en LLL
• Energy Engineering Technology: Industrieel beleid en LLL
• Electronics and ICT Engineering Technology: Bedrijfsmanagement
• Computer Science Engineering Technology: Systems Thinking
• Nuclear Engineering Technology: Internationaal leren

Do you have questions? Or need more information? We're here to help!

Contact student participation coaches Franne Schepers, Fréderique Vansweevelt en Lisa Vanstraelen via studentenparticipatie@uhasselt.be.