The concept of «self-government» is defined as a social institution that ensures the integrity of the social organism, the expression of interests and will of different communities, the participation of all segments of the population in the exercise of power, management decisions and their implementation. Selfgovernment is based on the same principles as democracy: the priority of the majority, formal equality, free expression of interests, generally accepted rights and responsibilities, a combination of elements of representation and direct expression of will. Student self-government as one of the most effective areas of social formation of youth in our country dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century. XX century. In the socio-political conditions of the country’s development of this period, student autonomous cooperatives became the basis of modern student organizations. The peculiarity of these associations was the organization of cultural and educational activities, as well as the active struggle for democracy and autonomy of the university, protection of the rights and interests of students. The historical origin of the modern model of student selfgovernment can be traced back to the last years of the Soviet Union, the development of the youth resistance movement and the politicization of the student environment. The ability to self-organize and the determination of young people show that the birth of a new generation in Ukraine has accumulated the necessary resources for another path of national development. Student self-government in the Free Economic Zone is a special form of independent social activity of students and graduate students to implement the functions of managing the life of the student body in accordance with the purpose and tasks facing it. The purpose of student self-government is to create conditions for self-realization of students and the formation of their organizational skills, leadership qualities, responsibility for the results of their work and more. The activities of student self-government bodies are aimed at improving the educational process, improving its quality, ensuring the education of spirituality and culture of students, the growth of social activity in student youth. The use of all opportunities of student self-government in accordance with current legislation will allow: to establish effective cooperation between the administration of the Free Economic Zone and students on a wide range of issues; create additional conditions for increasing the quality of training in the system of vocational education in Ukraine; to ensure further integration of the national educational system into the European and world educational space. Thus, given the above, it can be argued that the success of our country’s further integration into the European and world educational and scientific space largely depends on the extent to which the need for an effective system of student self-government in Ukraine will be realized

history of self-government development, student self-government, institutions of higher education, socialization, communication, world educational space