Free movement of students within the European university

The right to move and reside freely in the whole EU territory is one of the most significant rights attached to EU citizenship. In that context, the mobility of university students has played a key role in fostering the rights of economically inactive EU citizens. This notwithstanding, significant differences between national university systems and financial obstacles still hinder the development of a widespread, seamless, and truly accessible inter-university mobility in the EU. This chapter will briefly illustrate the main relevant EU provisions as well as the persistent gaps, while also addressing the most significant lines of ECJ case law in the light of most recent developments. The analysis will focus on the contribution that the concept of European University and the relevant policy documents aim to bring about, and will highlight the value-oriented dimension of students’ mobility emerging from those sources.