One aim of the AHEP’s Student Experience and Engagement SIG is to make it easier for those working in this field to seek and share best practice.

To help achieve this, we’ve compiled a list of events and conferences related to student experience that are taking place this year.

If you spot any events that you think we’ve missed from this list please get in touch with Chris Whitehead (Deputy Network Coordinator) to let us know!

Be sure to also keep an eye on AHEP’s event listings.

Inclusive Engagement (AdvanceHE)
14 January, 9:30 – 13:00

This two-part workshop from Advance HE will introduce the latest literature, practitioner learning, and sector insights to support participants in ensuring inclusivity for all as they embark on co-production and partnership initiatives with students. The course will address the challenges of an inclusive curriculum, adopting anti-racist policies and bias in student to staff feedback. Participants will also have the opportunity to critically apply their learning to a ‘live’ assignment or initiative within in their own institution.

More information and bookings.

Student Communications Conference 2025 (AdvanceHE)
28 January, 9:00 – 15:50

The Student Communications Conference 2025 will explore the next steps for designing authentic and truly integrated communications campaigns that drive enhanced engagement across the student journey.

More information and bookings.

Students as Co-creators Symposium 2025 (AdvanceHE)
29 January, 09:00 – 16:30

Join AdvanceHE for the 3rd annual symposium on Students as Co-creators, where this year’s theme, Student Mattering, will take centre stage. Building on the success of their previous symposium, which explored “What works?” in co-creation, this event will showcase groundbreaking practices that highlight the vital role of mattering in the student experience.

More information and bookings.

AMOSSHE Winter Conference 2025
7 February, 08:30 – 16:00

This professional development conference for Student Services leaders in higher education explores how we can create inclusive higher education communities where all students feel they belong. Join us to discuss how we can:

• Hear and heed student voices to better understand cultural differences.
• Encourage students to engage with Student Services, using feedback to co-create and tailor service delivery to better meet their needs.
• Develop our approaches to support transition into our higher education communities, including those returning to study, postgraduate entrants and international students.

More information and bookings.

Tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents 2025 (Universities UK)
14 February, 09:30 – 16:30

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this highly-regarded conference, where attendees will address the most pressing developments and progress in ensuring free speech is protected and that regulatory requirements are being met, as well as combating violence, harassment, and hate incidents in higher education. This is your opportunity to connect with top experts from across the sector, other organisations, and the third sector. Gain invaluable insights that you can incorporate in your role and create meaningful connections.

More information and bookings.

evasys Student Engagement Conference 2025
26 February

The conference focuses on the need for adaptability and innovation in response to the changing dynamics of higher education (HE). The conference theme of ‘Future-proofing Student Engagement’ explores the insights and strategies needed to navigate this evolving landscape to create a more engaging, inclusive and future-proofed learning environment and to prepare today’s learners for the challenges of tomorrow.

More information and bookings.

The Secret Life of Students (Wonkhe)
18 March

As Wonkhe’s unique student experience event returns for its seventh year, we’ll try to climb out of the doldrums over the student experience debate, asking the question – what would it take for the UK to offer the world’s best student experience? Bringing together policy makers and experts with sector leaders and managers, as well as student leaders and students’ union managers, we’ll get beyond trying to discern “the student interest” and work towards an ambitious, positive vision for students’ participation in higher education.

More information and bookings.

Enhancing the student experience 2025 (Universities UK)
20 March 09:30 – 16:30

There is increasingly better awareness and understanding of how the student experience differs for students who come to university through different routes or combine studies with work or caring responsibilities. How can universities ensure that all students benefit from the opportunity to gain the skills, experiences and connections to reach their potential as graduates?

More information and bookings.

Digital Universities UK 2025 (Times Higher Education)
1-3 April

This event will bring together higher education, industry and policy leaders working at the intersection of academic innovation and technology under one roof. The event will present the latest challenges and opportunities of digital-first higher education along with cutting-edge start-ups and ideas that will reshape the future, forever.

More information and bookings.

UKAT Annual Conference 2025
7-8 April, University of London

UKAT will be celebrating its anniversary in 2025, marking ten years of shaping the future of personal tutoring and academic advising in higher education. The theme of this conference is ‘Learning Well’, and it will celebrate the power of positivity, and the joy of learning and university life.

More information and bookings.

Student Engagement Conference 2025 (AdvanceHE)
10 April, 09:30-16:00

Join colleagues at the Advance HE Student Engagement Conference on April 10th, 2025, at The Eastside Rooms, Birmingham aswe come together as a community to share best practice, discuss challenges and identify opportunities to enhance how we create the right environments for our students to be successful

More information and bookings.

Student Communications 2025 (CASE)
20-21 May

The CASE Europe Student Communications Conference provides an in-depth look at the art of creating effective and engaging student communications.

More information and bookings.

AHEP Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025 (AHEP)

1 – 3 June 2025

More information and bookings.

GDP: Student Experience and Academic Assurance (AdvanceHE)
25 June, 09:30-13:00

This event addresses the crucial role of the governing body in providing assurance on academic governance and the student experience. As governing bodies navigate these areas, it is not uncommon for them to lack confidence, especially in light of significant changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, which have further complicated the assessment of institutional performance.

More information and bookings.

RAISE Annual Conference 2025 (RAISE)
4-5 September

The RAISE Annual Conference offers the opportunity for all students, staff, and anyone interested in university and college higher education, to showcase their practice and research. We particularly welcome student-led and collaborative submissions between students and staff. The RAISE annual conference is a friendly and welcoming conference and provides a supportive environment for first-time presenters.

More information and bookings.

To stay up-to-date with more news on everything related to Student Experience and Engagement, make sure that you’ve joined the SIG and signed up to our Jiscmail list.

The following conferences and events have now passed, but many may repeat again in 2025 – so keep an eye out for them.

Mental Health in Higher Education Conference
31 January, 9:30am – 1:45pm

Despite increased understanding and awareness, 1 in 3 students report having poor mental wellbeing whilst enrolled in higher education. Join Westminster Insight’s Mental Health in Higher Education Conference for guidance and practical solutions that will help you improve access to services and support for students.

Students as Co-creators Symposium 2024: What Works?
31 January, 9am – 4:30pm

The active participation of students in co-creating their learning experience can add value and insights to the student experience for students, staff and their institutions, however authentic and inclusive co-creation can be challenging to achieve. Advance HE’s first co-creation symposium in January 2023 explored key principles underlying co-creation and the potential benefits for those involved. In this second symposium, we want to critically explore the factors that contribute to success in co-creation, across all areas of the university experience.

Aspiring Academic Registrars
31 January, 9:15am – 4:00pm

Spend the day with ARC Registrars to see how you can get ahead in registry services. You may be planning for the role of Academic Registrar (or equivalent) as your next career move, or maybe you are already planning for this in a few years’ time. We can help!

Developing Your Professional Capabilities
7 February, 9:30am – 1pm

This online workshop is designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your career as a HE professional. The workshop focuses on increasing your self-awareness through reflection and developing professional capabilities. You will learn how to leverage a reflective tool to explore your strengths and areas for development. Additionally, we’ll explore different approaches to career development and strategies to make the most of them.

Tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents 2024
8 February, 9am – 5pm

This annual, highly-regarded national conference will explore the key recent developments and sector progress in tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents in higher education. Don’t miss out on this crucial chance to engage with sector-leading experts, as well as from other organisations and the third sector.

AMOSSHE Winter Conference 2024
9 February, 9:30am – 4:30pm

This professional development conference for Student Services leaders in higher education explores making an impact on student wellbeing, continuation and success through establishing roles and boundaries in relation to student support and understanding our students and services using data.

Global Mobility Conference 2024
20 February, 9:30am – 4pm

Join Universities UK International (UUKi) and fellow global mobility professionals at Health Innovation One, Lancaster University, for the return of a conference dedicated to all things mobility and international experience. The Global Mobility Conference will provide an ideal platform for discussions and insights at the strategic level of mobility planning and management. The conference will conclude with a networking reception, allowing delegates to engage and build connections with like-minded professionals in the sector. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of global mobility and learn from the various experiences accumulated so far.

Quality Insights Conference 2024
22 – 23 February, online

Join QAA’s flagship Quality Insights Conference 2024 for an imaginative programme exploring a variety of strands that enable us to focus on the students and staff of 2030.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2024
6 – 7 March, 9am – 5pm

This two-day conference will focus on best practice in addressing issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in HE. Includes keynotes from senior leaders and EDI experts.

The Secret Life of Students 2024
12 March

As Wonkhe’s unique student experience event returns for its sixth year, we’ll be interrogating the contemporary higher education policy questions through the student lens – bringing together sector leaders and managers, as well as student leaders and students’ union managers, to figure out how to respond in the student interest.

Student Belonging Conference 2024

21 May, 10am – 4pm

This free conference, hosted by East Anglia University, offers the opportunity for those interested in the student experience from the perspective of student belonging and the student transition in to Higher Education, to build a network and learn from each other. The morning sessions will be hybrid with some afternoon elements being a mixture of hybrid and in-person.

Jisc Change Agents’ Network Conference 2024

20, 22 and 23 May

The University of Portsmouth are proud to be working with Jisc to host the 11th Change Agents’ Network (CAN) Conference in May 2024. This conference will draw together students, students’ unions, professional services, academics and university leaders to address the continued need to innovate higher education with students. This year’s conference theme is ‘The future of student engagement and student-staff partnerships to enhance higher education’ where we welcome contributions from students and staff new and returning to CAN.

More information and bookings.

European First Year Experience (EFYE) Conference 2024

29 – 31 May

The EFYE Network & Conference aims to bring together people and ideas to support the first-year experience of students in higher education. These ideas are shared through various workshops run by passionate professionals, as well as through friendly discussions between delegates.

Effective Collaboration for Social Change: Working Effectively With Your Students’ Union/Association

5 June

This session will give an overview of the key structures and engagement methods of Students’ Unions to help attendees learn about how they can adapt their structures to better engage students with this work. This session will also focus on how Academic & Professional can effectively engage with their Students’ Union/Association/Guild; creating unique opportunities for collaboration so that they can enact social change together. This workshop will help support colleagues with idea generation with the unique student-led perspective as well as how to effectively approach the Union whilst ensuring a student-led perspective to their work.

Innovations in Internationalisation at Home Forum

10 June 2024

IIH2024 offers a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the field and discuss ongoing investment and innovation in the internationalised student experience.  It aims to provide a cross-sector platform that will be equally valuable to colleagues in a broad range of professional services and academic roles, and in a manner which is reflective of the broad range of opportunities and initiatives which Internationalisation at Home encompasses.

Student Communications Conference 2024

11 – 12 June

The CASE Europe Student Communications Conference provides an in-depth look at the art of creating effective and engaging student communications. Communications and marketing professionals have the opportunity to hear about innovation and best practice from expert practitioners who offer tools and techniques learned from their own successful campaigns.

Student Experience and Engagement Network Coffee Break Catch-up: Reflections on the academic year

13 June, 3-4pm

Another year of Coffee Breaks is wrapping up, but not before we reflect on the past year and the opportunities and challenges we encountered. Join us for a debrief or simply to reminisce about the last 9/10 months!

Developing your Access and Participation Plan (APP): a whole provider approach
17 June

The workshop will help you apply the learning about a whole provider approach to your own institutional context, and inform the process of preparing and writing your Access and Participation Plan (APP).

Speak Out: Exploring Protected Beliefs and Free Speech in UK Higher Education
19 June

This online event is an opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue, debate and reflection designed to strengthen understanding of the complexities of this terrain and build capacity to navigate the intersections of protected beliefs and freedom of speech. Participants will consider the key points from Advance HE’s Guidance on Protected Beliefs, hear from legal experts, and explore practical ways to navigate tensions between freedom or speech, academic freedom and protected beliefs through a range of realistic, challenging scenarios.

Coffee Catch-ups: What’s happening in the sector?

20 June

Delivered by Jake Harding, Manchester Metropolitan University, this workshop will explore applying lessons learnt from the post-pandemic secondary/further student experience to higher education. The session will also facilitate engaging with the wider context of the education sector and working together to understand the pressures on secondary/further students and colleagues, see how this translates as emerging trends in higher education and how we can collaborate as a wider community to address national issues and support the student experience.

GDP: Student Experience and Academic Assurance
26 June

This event addresses the crucial role of the governing body in providing assurance on academic governance and the student experience. As governing bodies navigate these areas, it is not uncommon for them to lack confidence, especially in light of significant changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, which have further complicated the assessment of institutional performance.

AMOSSHE National Conference 2024

26 – 28 June

The AMOSSHE National Conference 2024 is the UK’s foremost opportunity for Student Services leaders in higher education to share expertise and good practice, develop strategy and skills, and build professional networks.

Teaching and Learning Conference 2024
2 July

AdvanceHE’s flagship three-day conference, attracting HE practitioners involved in teaching and learning from the UK and overseas, will provide a forum for delegates to share latest research, project outcomes and initiatives that improve teaching and learning practice. The conference will include keynotes and panel sessions, plus a vast range of peer-led oral presentations, ignite sessions, roundtable sessions and interactive workshops.

Professional Framework Symposium: Demonstrating Responsible Practice and Personal Integrity

9 July

In response to the growing importance of student well-being, mental health, and inclusivity within higher education, AHEP are delighted to present our upcoming transformative one-day online symposium focusing on “Empowering the Student Experience: Navigating Challenges with Integrity and Inclusivity.” Inspired by recent legal precedents such as the Natasha Abrahart case, this symposium delves into critical issues surrounding student well-being, support services, legal considerations, and empowerment strategies within higher education institutions.

Foundation Year Network Annual Conference 2024

9 – 10 July

The conference, hosted at the University of Lincoln, will focus on the following themes all related to the topic of student belonging. Diverse Belonging – Does belonging mean the same to everyone? The Beginning of Belonging – How and where is belonging born? Learning to Belong – Which teaching and learning strategies, resources and activities enable all students to participate and belong during teaching sessions? Co-created Belonging – Does developing our educational offer with our students nurture belonging? Belonging as Foundation Year Educators – How can institutions ensure that their foundation year staff feel that they belong in the wider institution?

RAISE Annual Conference

11 – 12 September

The Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement (RAISE) Committee will be running our second hybrid conference where our conference will feature plenary speakers, panels and up to 80 case studies and workshops for colleagues to share perspectives and best practice. This year, our conference theme is Equity in Attainment & Student Success, where we wish to draw together new and returning delegates to the RAISE Community to network and share our work in student engagement which addresses accessibility, equitable opportunities and celebrates diversity.

AHEP Digital Special Interest Group: Lunchtime Networking Session: Coffee Catch-ups: What’s happening in the sector?
17 September, 12:00 – 13:00, online

This coffee catch-up will feature a conversation with Greg Sheridan, who will share his insights on digital transformations at a Scottish University. Greg is a Senior Digital Manager at the University of the West of Scotland with a focus on designing their digital transformation roadmap for student records. This session is in collaboration with AHEP’s Digital SIG.

AHEP Quality and Standards Special Interest Group: Franchising in Higher Education

20 September, 12:00 – 13:00, online

This session, led by Simon Bullock of the QAA, will take people through new UK-wide guidance on franchising, which looks at strategic direction, due diligence and the contracts that underpin new arrangements, with advice on academic standards, governance, quality assurance and mitigating risks. Attendees will also be asked to suggest areas that forthcoming advice and guidance on partnerships, to be released next year as part of the Quality Code review, could cover.

AHEP Student Experience and Engagement Special Interest Group Coffee Break Catch-up: Collective Consent
10 October, 3 – 4pm, online

The Consent Collective is a social enterprise who help organisations and communities understand consent, trauma, relationships and sexual harassment. Working across multiple sectors they use their expertise and resources to empower teams to deliver meaningful and impactful work in service of their clients, students or colleagues.

Co-founded by Dr Nina Burrowes and Cynthia Ellis, it is dedicated to promoting consent education and preventing sexual harassment. Their work with their university partners helps in the delivery of impactful programmes of work across campus to respond to and prevent sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

AHEP Change Seminar Series #2
16 October, 12 – 1:30pm, online

Our Change Seminar Series is returning in October with two webinar sessions delivered by David Duell (University of Birmingham) and Sarah Lanchbury (University of Salford). David will be discussing Credibility In A Vacuum – Growing a team without losing the heart, while Sarah will be presenting on Software Change Projects and Impact on Colleagues.

AHEP South and Student Experience and Engagement Networks: Applying coaching to enhance students’ autonomy, confidence and independence with Ann Qian, Lecturer at the University of Chester (AHEP)
5 November, 12:30 – 1:30pm

How best to engage and motivate our students in their university study. With the landscape change of HEIs it is important to reflect on engagement practice and using the coaching method to shift their mindset, explore options/possibilities and motivation students to take responsibilities to achieve a better outcome.

Assessment and Feedback Symposium 2024 (AdvanceHE)

5 November

In an ever-changing world, where technology is constantly evolving, the mechanisms to assess our students’ work frequently change and provide us with both new opportunities and new challenges. This symposium, now in its fifth year, will consider how we can harness technology to improve our practices, explore means to overcome barriers and collaborate with students as co-creators to ensure parity of assessment for our students.

The Festival of Higher Education
12 – 13 November

Brought to you by Wonkhe and the University of London, The Festival of Higher Education will bring together higher education leaders, opinion-formers, and wonks of all types to discuss the biggest issues facing universities today.

The art of bringing creativity and fun into the classroom (Times Higher Education)
21 November, 11:00-12:00

Learn how to get creative with your teaching and inject a sense of fun into the classroom for better student outcomes, from experienced educators at Campus+ partner universities in the UK.

Student Success 2024 Conference (HE Professional)

27 November

Student Success 2024 will explore how universities can build an evidence-led approach to engagement, continuation and completion with impactful academic and service design at all stages of the student journey.

Widening Participation Conference 2024 (HE Professional)
5 December

The Widening Participation Conference 2024 will focus on how providers can deliver impact following the submission of Access and Participation Plans and explore how to support continuous improvement in reducing risks to equality of opportunity.

AHEP Student Experience and Engagement SIG Coffee Break: National Student Survey (AHEP)

12 December, 15:00-16:00