The project “Participation and Student Engagement at Universities: Conditions for Success and Impact” (PuSH) examines which individual, institutional and structural-legal factors foster student engagement, and what effects this engagement can have.
The background to this is the expectation placed on universities to contribute to the promotion of democracy. This involves the development of corresponding values and dispositions for action, as well as the concrete promotion of student participation. This can take place within the university in connection with quality assurance and institutional development, for example through participation in processes such as curriculum development, teaching design, evaluation and accreditation, or through involvement in committees and bodies of academic self-governance. Student participation can also have an impact beyond the university in wider societal contexts, e.g. through social engagement, participation in self-organized groups or through political participation.
The project systematically examines the macro, meso and micro levels, as well as the interactions between them. At the level of the federal states, differences in the legal status of the student body are identified, and political measures designed to promote participation and engagement are compiled and categorised. At the institutional level, various features of the internal organisation of higher education institutions and their performance of duties are examined. At the student level, individual resources or constraints are considered, along with knowledge, experiences of participation and motivations, as well as networks that may support their engagement.
The project is supported by an advisory board comprising representatives of students, higher education policy-makers and practitioners (fzs, BMFTR, HRK, DSW, state ministries and universities).
The aim is for the project to contribute to measuring student participation not only quantitatively – through indicators such as voter turnout or the number of student members in committees and commissions – but also qualitatively, in terms of type and impact. Furthermore, the project focuses on opportunities and measures for actively promoting student participation and removing barriers to participation.
The PuSH project runs from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2029 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) (grant number 16RBM3006).
