The sovereign body of the National Union of Students is the Annual Conference and this takes place each Spring. Every students' union (or "constituent member") is entitled to send at least one representative to participate in the Conference.

Around 1,200 people attend the Conference, with over 80% of them being delegates.

Motions 

The annual conference determines the policy of the national union by debating motions submitted by constituent members. It also adopts policies by ratifying decisions taken at other campaign conferences and liberation conferences. It sets the campaigning agenda for the next year by determining policy areas.

The National Executive Committee

Annual Conference also has the responsibility for electing most of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and other committees, and approving the annual accounts and the estimates for the year ahead. It is the forum where the NEC are ultimately held to account.

Zones 

The conference is broken down into 4 'Zones':

• Education
• Society and Citizenship
• Strong and Active Unions
• Welfare and Students' Rights
  

The University of Portsmouth Students' Union sent its maximum allowance of 12 delegates to the 2007 NUS conference.