What is the Ghent Student Council?

The Ghent Student Council is the central student council of Ghent University. The Ghent Student Council represents and defends the interests of the students. The topics range from all affairs concerning education (Education and Examination code, special status for students ...) as well as social affairs (housing, student restaurants ...) and many other topics. The list of topics is quite diverse and is not limited to the aforementioned.

However, the Ghent Student Council is not solely active on the university level. As well as supporting the Faculty Student Councils of which there are eleven, the Ghent Student Council is also active on both the municipal and Flemish level. Finally, the Ghent Student Council supports several smaller and a few big projects such as the Fietsambassade, the Student Kick-Off and Zeus WPI.

Who is the Ghent Student Council?

The Ghent Student Council consists of a General Assembly and a Board. The General Assembly consists of twenty members with voting rights. These are representatives of each of the eleven faculties, the four directly elected student representatives in the Board of Directors, the four directly elected student representatives in the Social Council and finally the student representative in the Executive Council. The General Assembly yearly elects its Board which is responsible for the daily operation. Besides electing the Board the General Assembly can choose to elect Policy Directors who are responsible for a single topic. The entire organisation and operation is run with the help of students who are hired by the Ghent Student Council. Their work ranges from being a policy officer to more administrative tasks.

The Board is also responsible for the organization of several working groups. Working groups focusing on and covering different topics are planned throughout the year with help from the staff. The Board member assigned with educational affairs for example will lead the working group Education in which the files of the Education Board will be discussed and prepared. Beyond working groups about education and social affairs, many ad hoc working groups are organized concerning among others the charters and the budget.

Contact us

The Board consists of a Board member who's responsible for all matters concerning external relations such as the municipal, association and Flemish level as well as the international students at Ghent University and the university's policy regarding internationalisation. He or she can be reached at extern@gentsestudentenraad.be. For more general questions you can mail us at info@gentsestudentenraad.be.