Leadership development in higher education has expanded significantly through campus-based training, study abroad and co-curricular programming, yet the research base remains comparatively thin, and much of what exists is short-term rather than longitudinal. Where evidence does exist, it points to specific factors that shape whether student leadership programmes actually build lasting capability, rather than confirming that participation alone is sufficient. This brief summarises the current evidence and its implications for programme design.
Context
Leadership development in higher education is not a topic that has been extensively studied, though existing research does show that pre-college leadership experience and campus-based training programmes both contribute meaningfully to student leadership growth. At the same time, most available studies are short-term, which limits what can be said about how leadership competencies evolve over a student's education or afterward.
Key Findings
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Scale evidence supports structured leadership education.
Drawing on evidence from close to half a million students across roughly 600 institutions, leadership knowledge combined with real opportunities to apply what is learned is associated with increased leadership capacity by the end of higher education indicating that knowledge alone, without applied opportunity, is not enough. (Cotrim & Da Silva Gomes, 2024)
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Short-term, high-intensity formats can build specific competencies.
Short-term leadership study abroad programmes have been shown to help students develop functioning independently, responding to ambiguity, emotional intelligence and social responsibility suggesting that shorter, well-designed formats can produce meaningful gains, not only long-term immersive programmes. (Hench, 2026, New Directions for Student Leadership)
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Access to leadership opportunity is not distributed equally.
Research indicates that gender and race play a role in students' access to campus leadership opportunities, with persistent inequalities documented in who reaches leadership positions and roles a pattern noted as consistent across multiple institutional contexts. (Baccei, 2015; Lamm et al., 2021)
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Leadership profiles vary meaningfully by governance and cultural context.
Comparative analysis of student leadership behaviours across countries with differing governance systems found distinct, classifiable leadership profiles among students, shaped in part by the cultural and governance context they were educated in reinforcing that leadership development is not culturally uniform. (PISA 2022 comparative study)
Institutional Implications
This evidence suggests student leadership programmes should pair leadership knowledge with genuine applied opportunity rather than instruction alone; should consider shorter, intensive formats as a viable complement to longer programmes; should actively address unequal access to leadership opportunity; and should account for participants' differing cultural and governance backgrounds rather than applying a single standardised model.
Recommendation
Student leadership programmes should combine structured knowledge with applied practice, monitor equitable access to leadership opportunity, and adapt delivery to participants' cultural and governance context rather than relying on a single generic curriculum. References Cotrim, T. & Da Silva Gomes, J. (2024), cited in Center for Engaged Learning, Research on Leadership Development: A Brief Overview HYPERLINK "https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/research-on-leadership-development-a-brief-overview/" https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/research-on-leadership-development-a-brief-overview/ Hench, C. et al. (2026), The Impact of Short-Term Leadership Study Abroad on Student Leadership Competencies , New Directions for Student Leadership, Wiley HYPERLINK "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/yd.70037" https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/yd.70037 Baccei, M. A. (2015), Understanding College Student Leadership Development: A Longitudinal Examination of the Impact of Campus-Based Leadership Trainings , University of Iowa — HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.40tyzxst" https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.40tyzxst Center for Engaged Learning, Student Leadership in Higher Education HYPERLINK "https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/student-leadership-in-higher-education/" https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/student-leadership-in-higher-education/ Classification of Student Leadership Profiles in Diverse Governance Settings: Insights from PISA 2022 HYPERLINK "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11351825/" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11351825/