Education Act 1994

20 Meaning of “students' union”

(1) In this Part a “students' union” means—

(a) an association of the generality of students at an establishment to which this Part applies whose principal purposes include promoting the general interests of its members as students; or

(b) a representative body (whether an association or not) whose principal purposes include representing the generality of students at an establishment to which this Part applies in academic, disciplinary or other matters relating to the government of the establishment.

(2) References in this Part to a students' union include an association or body which would fall within subsection (1) if for the references to the generality of students at the establishment there were substituted a reference to—

(a) the generality of undergraduate students, or graduate students, at the establishment; or

(b) the generality of students at a particular hall of residence of the establishment.

(3) References in this Part to a students' union include an association or body which consists wholly or mainly of—

(a) constituent or affiliated associations or bodies which are themselves students' unions within subsection (1) or (2), or

(b) representatives of such constituent or affiliated associations,

and which fulfils the functions of a students' union within subsection (1) or (2) in relation to students at an establishment to which this Part applies.

(4) An association or body may be a students' union within the meaning of this Part in relation to more than one establishment but not in relation to establishments generally in the United Kingdom or a part of the United Kingdom.

(5) References in this section to an association of the generality of students, or of any description of students, include—

(a) any association which the generality of students, or of students of that description, may join, whether or not it has in membership a majority of them, and

(b) any association which would fall within paragraph (a) if the references there to students were confined to full-time students;

and references to a representative body whose principal purposes include representing the generality of students, or of any description of students, shall be similarly construed.