Early Activity and Structure

In the beginning, the governing body of NUS was the Council, which met three times a year, and was made up of the presidents of the Union Societies of England and Wales. By 1924 all university colleges were in membership. The Council elected the National Executive Committee, held them accountable, and could not pass policy that was binding on the members of NUS. There also existed at this time a Congress, which met annually to discuss issues of the day. It was intended to be a more open event than the Council and it provided a focal point for ideas in the student world.

From the late 1930s, NUS became more of a real student movement, picking up the issues of concern to students. It also started to embrace colleges other than the universities - in 1937 teacher training and technical colleges were allowed into membership of NUS.

This commitment to internationalism was embodied in a decision to make November 17th International Students Day. On this date in 1939, the Nazis closed the universities and attacked the student movement in Czechoslovakia.

The wider political role for NUS was reflected in a charter that was adopted at the Leeds Congress in 1940, which called for a widening of access to higher education and other progressive education policies.

Following the war, NUS took a leading part in the new International Union of Students (IUS), and much of NUS' work throughout the '50s was directed to international issues.