The short answer is yes - although it's a bit complicated. Individual students can't join NUS, but being a student at Manchester Met automatically makes you a member of The Union; being a member of The Union then also automatically makes you a member of NUS.

This is because NUS is something called a confederation of students' unions. The Union is one of about 600 students' unions in the UK (including most university unions) who choose, voluntarily, to be part of NUS. That makes all of our members part of NUS too.

So if you're a student at Manchester Met and you've never ended your automatic membership with The Union, you'll also be an NUS member until you graduate. That means you can enjoy membership benefits like the NUS Extra Card and put yourself forward to attend national NUS events for as long as you're part of The Union.

The main job of NUS is to represent the interests of its more than seven million students (including you) at the national level, and especially to the UK Government. Just like The Union represents you to Manchester Met, NUS represents you in national conversations.

NUS also runs nation-wide and regional campaigns on issues that matter to students, like the cost of studying, changes to education or tackling hate crime. Every year around 1,000 elected students and officers (including nine from The Union - find out more here) gather for an annual conference to decide NUS' direction and leadership for the next year.

NUS also offers practical benefits, like the NUS Extra Card - the UK's biggest and most widely known student discount card. Our partnership with NUS also helps The Union to source goods (like what we sell in the shop) and services for our members at a lower cost.