Recognition
Recognising Student Engagement Across ERUA
“Recognition is one of the key components towards fostering student engagement. This is a timely step towards acknowledging students as partners in reform based higher education.”
Muhammad Ismail, MA student & member of the ERUA Student Engagement Team, European University Viadrina, Germany
As partners within the ERUA academic community, students are key contributors to the Alliance’s development and success. Beyond participating in decision-making processes, they initiate projects, lead activities, and develop new approaches that enhance student engagement and representation. Their efforts help shape not only ERUA’s strategic direction but also wider developments that support a more connected, inclusive, and student-centered European Higher Education Area.
To recognise these contributions in a fair, transparent and meaningful way, ERUA has adopted the Student Engagement Recognition Framework. The framework provides shared principles for recognising student engagement while taking into account the diverse national and institutional contexts of ERUA’s member universities.
Read the ERUA Student Engagement Recognition Framework
Student Board members presenting & students discussing with professors and societal partners on a round table, both at the ERUA Summit at the University of the Aegean in November 2025.
“Student engagement recognition is fundamental to amplify the students’ voices, but on top of that it was attained with both students and staff alike coming together and building constructive dialogue. In my opinion, this is ERUA’s core and strength.”
The Student Engagement Recognition Framework was developed through a collaborative process initiated by the ERUA Student Board, which identified the need for a common approach to recognising student engagement across the alliance. Facilitated by a student-staff tandem, students and their representatives, ERUA management and the Student Engagement team from all eight universities worked together to co-create a framework that reflects shared values, lived experiences and practical (administrative and legal) realities. This process of shared ownership reflects ERUA’s commitment to participatory governance and democratic practice, based on the principle that those affected by decisions should have a meaningful voice in shaping them. The framework is now an annex of ERUA’s Consortium Agreement.
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The Student Engagement Recognition Framework acknowledges that student involvement takes many forms. Whether students contribute to governance, organise initiatives, help shape teaching, or strengthen communication and community-building across the alliance, their contributions are an important part of ERUA’s activities.
The framework introduces a transparent approach and methodology to assessing different forms of engagement and identifying suitable ways of recognising them. Depending on the nature of the contribution and local possibilities, recognition may include:
- certificates and digital badges,
- funded mobilities,
- reference letters,
- ECTS credits where applicable,
- scholarships or financial recognition where possible,
- dedicated staff support for student-led initiatives.
The framework does not demand to create identical practices across all universities. Instead, it establishes common principles while allowing each institution to develop recognition approaches that fit its own context and respect local practices.
“It has been extraordinary to witness the evolution from a Compensation Statement by the Student Board into the Recognition Framework that will become part of the Consortial Agreement. To me, this is a genuine example of co-creation: students and staff across the alliance worked together to shape a shared approach to recognition. The framework itself is an important outcome, but equally valuable is the collaborative process behind it, which I hope can inspire similar initiatives across the European university landscape.”
Sandra Evans, ERUA Local Coordinator, European University Viadrina, Germany
Beyond recognising individual contributions, the Student Engagement Recognition Framework supports and represents a culture in which student engagement is valued, visible and sustainable. It promotes transparency, inclusivity and fairness, encourages accessible engagement opportunities, and acknowledges students’ expertise and contributions across ERUA activities.
The implementation of the framework is coordinated by a student-staff team, is supported across the alliance and will be reviewed after the first year, incorporating experience from practice and feedback. This will ensure that it continues to develop in line with the needs of the ERUA community and that staff working with students in ERUA pro-actively acknowledges this shared commitment.
Students participating in co-shaping the alliance or considering doing so are encouraged to read and actively refer to the Student Engagement Recognition Framework.
For questions or comments, please contact erua-students@europa-uni.de
Student Board member Alexandra Petrova (New Bulgarian University) presenting the Framework in the public Student Participation Workshop Event at the European University Viadrina in May 2026.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
