A community set up and run by our members. There are 100+ student-led societies. Whether you’re looking for members of your faith or cultural background, searching for others in your department, or looking to hang out with those who share the same interests as you, there is something for everyone to get involved with.

You can join an SU society by purchasing their membership on their SU webpage. You can find a list of all SU societies here. You must remember to be logged in to do this. Purchasing a society membership will mean that you receive all emails that the society sends out and some society events will be ‘members only’ or that members could be eligible for discounted event tickets. Even if the membership is free, you must checkout in order to join a society.

Your society membership will start from the point of purchase until expiry on the following 31st July. There is an exception for those who are January starters (their membership will expire on the following 31st December upon purchase and proof of start date).

Couldn’t find a society for you? Luckily, you can start a new society. You must first make sure that the name and goals of your new society are not too similar to any existing society. After this you must find at least four students to fill the core Exec roles of: President, Secretary (or Vice-President), Treasurer, and Welfare Officer. To submit your new society for approval you first complete the new society form and send this to susocs@essex.ac.uk, cc’ing in all 20 of your signatories. If you have any questions about this form or the general process of starting a society please get in contact at susocs@essex.ac.uk.

Yes, you are able to join a society if you are not a student. However, only active students of the University of Essex can hold the core exec positions for a society.

If you have any concerns about how a society is being run or wish to make a complaint, please get in touch with us at susocs@essex.ac.uk or come and talk to us.

All of our society execs are volunteers. We know it can be challenging to balance studies with running a society. We first recommend sending the society exec an email. Their contact information can be found in the ‘contact’ tab of their society page. You may also find details on their society page about social media accounts or WhatsApp groups for the society. Please reach out to them first and allow time for them to respond. If you still haven’t heard back, email susocs@essex.ac.uk and we can help out.

It’s a great way of making new friends, gaining skills and experience, and boosting your wellbeing. It can be listed on your CV, making you more attractive to future employers. If you log your voluntary hours, they will count towards The Big Essex Award - the University’s employability and skills award which aims to help identify all the skills you've developed during your time at Essex.

You log the hours yourself through Gradintel. You need to activate your account using your Essex email address. When you first start at Essex, you should find an email in your inbox which prompts you to activate your Gradintel account.