All student activities are coordinated by the Student Council, which is run by an 11 member cabinet in a student parliament of 51 members directly elected each year by the student body.
The Student Council aims to encourage an enlightened student body and a cooperative spirit among the various groups in the university. The Student Council cooperates with the Office of Student Affairs to present a wide range of cultural events, including art, photographic and book exhibits, concerts and folk festivals.
In 1995, the Student Council changed its electorial system to proportional respresentation, replacing the previous "first past the post" system, thus allowing the views of the myriad student parties to be expressed in the student decision-making process. Holding the elections under the banner "A model for Palestinian democracy", the week of campaigning, debating and voting was observed by a number of research centres to serve as a training ground for the coming national Palestinian elections. With over 3,000 students turning out for the final announcement, the elections were a colourful festival of sight and sound that is one of the University's most exciting weeks each academic year.
Since 1972, every Birzeit University student has to be involved in community service during their degree course in order to graduate. The purpose of this programme is to enhance students' awareness of the problems faced by the wider Palestinian community and to involve them in the solutions to these problems.
Students have the opportunity to undertake voluntary work on a variety of community projects: special jobs in public institutions; the paving of roads in refugee camps and isolated villages; helping farmers during the harvest seasons and with forrestation; and teaching on literacy programmes. Currently, students must complete approximately 150 hours of service, dependent on faculty, as a graduation requirement.
Birzeit University emphasises the cultural and personal development of the student. Students are encouraged to participate in the many activities that take place on campus: lectures; theatre and music; scientific; and literary and athletic.
Birzeit's student musical troupe, Sanabel, and its dabke folk dance group, Al-Juthur, regularly perform for Birzeit students and the wider Palestinian community, and have completed successful tours in a number of other countries.