Citizenship and higher education
- Editor(s):
- Jesse, M.; Kostakopoulou, D.; Morano-Foadi, S.
Abstract
Education has long been seen as a universal value, crossing borders and overcoming societal
divisions. The right to higher education is accordingly granted to everyone under international
law. Nevertheless, citizenship – understood as a legal status of being a citizen of a given state – has to this day important consequences for one’s access to higher education and/or rights granted in this context. This applies equally to EU citizenship as an example of a supranational citizenship. On the other hand, higher education might also open new pathways to citizenship acquisition. Hence, the legal frameworks of citizenship and higher education, while seemingly distinct, intersect in many dimensions. Further, the notion of ‘citizenship’ – understood not as a legal status, but in socio-cultural terms – features frequently in discussions about the aims and organisational principles of higher education. While such discussions reach beyond law, they might both inform and be informed by legal provisions. This entry sketches the nature of these intersections, drawing on both doctrinal and theoretical debates.
