Student Activism and Organizations

Student activism and student organizations are a universal feature of higher education institutions globally. In the 21st century, student activism refers to any political engagements of students to bring about political and social change. Student organizations are enduring collectivities of students that are autonomously governed and managed by students with different degrees of formalization and institutionalization of governing structures and processes and are established with the primary purpose of serving students. This entry provides an overview of student activism and organizations in higher education and explores how they are defined. It then discusses two distinct types of student organizations and reviews research related to student activism and organizations.