At its 91st Board Meeting, the European Students’ Union (ESU) adopted a Resolution on Increasing Access to Higher Education, reaffirming the European student movement’s commitment to ensuring that higher education is truly accessible, inclusive and equitable for all students across Europe. The resolution comes at a critical moment, as rising living costs, growing housing insecurity and widening social inequalities continue to create significant barriers to participation in higher education.
This resolution was drafted collaboratively by ESU’s member unions’ representatives, during the 51st European Students’ Convention, held in March 2026 in Sligo, Ireland. The event focused on the social dimension of higher education, bringing together student representatives from across Europe to discuss the challenges faced by their peers and identify concrete solutions to widen access, improve participation and support successful access, progression and completion of studies. The adopted resolution reflects the conclusions of those discussions and the collective priorities of Europe’s student movement.
The document is built around three interconnected pillars. The first addresses cross-cutting barriers that affect students throughout their educational journey, including housing insecurity, financial precarity, discrimination, inaccessible support systems and administrative obstacles. The second pillar focuses on entry into higher education, highlighting how unequal access to information, financial resources, guidance and fair admission systems continue to exclude many prospective students, particularly those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. The third pillar addresses retention and completion, recognising that access alone is insufficient if students are unable to remain in higher education or successfully complete their studies due to financial hardship, inadequate support structures, mental health challenges, or inaccessible learning environments.
To tackle these challenges, ESU calls for ambitious actions at both European and national levels. The resolution proposes measures including increased investment in affordable student housing, stronger student support services, improved mental health provisions, inclusive and anti-discriminatory learning environments, flexible learning pathways, fair mobility frameworks and comprehensive financial support systems that reflect the real cost of living. With the resolution, ESU also asks for recognition of diverse educational pathways, accessible admission systems and policies that ensure students are not forced to choose between their studies and their economic survival.
At its core, the resolution reinforces the vision set out in the Principles and Guidelines to Strengthen the Social Dimension of Higher Education in the EHEA: that the student body entering, participating in and completing higher education should reflect the diversity of society. ESU believes that achieving this goal requires coordinated efforts from national authorities, higher education institutions and European policymakers alike.
As preparations continue for the next Ministerial Communique, ESU considers widening access to higher education and strengthening its social dimension to be among the highest priorities for the future of the European Higher Education Area.