Durham Students' Union is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board is ultimately responsible for directing the affairs of the Union and for ensuring it is solvent, well-run and delivering the charitable objectives. This involves approving and overseeing the strategic plan and the budget.

The Board consists of thirteen Trustees who are elected by the membership or appointed by the Board with the agreement of Assembly:

• five student officers automatically become the Officer Trustees after being elected to their positions, and hold office for one year (renewable once). These elections take place in March.
• four students are elected to serve as Student Trustees for one year (renewable once). These elections take place in June.
• five people who are not members or staff of the Union are appointed as Co-opted Trustees for a period of four years. The appointment is made by the Board after consultation with Assembly. One of the Co-opted Trustees serves as Chair.

The Board has several sub-committees which are responsible for detailed scrutiny of some areas:

• audit and risk committee
• finance committee
• human resources and remuneration committee
• governance and appointments committee