AC21 Student World Forum
The Student World Forum (SWF) was an AC21 student-facing activity that ran alongside other consortium programmes such as the International Forum and the Special Project Fund. Surviving sources confirm multiple editions, but they do not support a complete host-by-host chronology or a single programme format that can safely be generalised across every edition.
A note on this page: an earlier version contained a detailed year-by-year table of hosts, themes and participant numbers. We have not been able to verify that table, and in at least two cases — the year and format of the final edition, and the host of an earlier one — independent sources directly contradict it. That table has been removed. What follows reflects only what we could confirm.
The 2022 Student World Forum
The most recently confirmed edition took place in 2022, hosted by Nanjing University and held virtually from 18 to 31 July 2022, on the theme "Urban Sustainability under the Covid-19 Attack." According to Universitas Gadjah Mada's Office of International Affairs, which nominated its own students to attend, this was the 7th AC21 Student World Forum, and the registration fee was waived for students nominated through AC21. We have not found documentation of a Student World Forum held after 2022. AC21's own active programming appears to have concluded in December 2022, following its 11th and final International Forum.
Earlier Editions
At least one earlier edition was hosted by Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand; the source reporting this did not specify the exact year. Since the 2022 edition was numbered the 7th, earlier editions are understood to have taken place before it, but we have not been able to independently verify a complete list of hosts, dates, themes, or the exact year the programme began.
Participation
We have not found a reliable source for participant numbers, either per edition or as a programme-wide total, and have removed figures previously published here. For the 2022 edition, participation was arranged through member-university nomination; the sources we recovered do not establish a fixed consortium-wide quota that can be generalised to other editions.
Student World Forum and Other AC21 Programmes
The SWF sat alongside AC21's other student- and researcher-facing activities, including the International Graduate School. We have not found an AC21 source describing a formal pipeline or programme relationship between them, so this page does not characterise one.
This page documents a historical AC21 programme, not an active one. For an evergreen guide to international student mobility, including degree, exchange, traineeship, and blended formats, see our current resource. For a time-specific analysis, see Student Mobility in a Post-Pandemic World.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the AC21 Student World Forum?
The Student World Forum was an AC21 student-facing event. The surviving record confirms multiple editions, including a seventh edition hosted virtually by Nanjing University in 2022, but does not support a complete host-by-host chronology.
Who could participate?
Students at AC21 member universities, nominated by their home institution. The exact eligibility criteria and nomination process are not fully documented and appear to have varied by host and edition.
When was the final Student World Forum?
The most recently confirmed edition was in 2022, hosted virtually by Nanjing University. We have not found documentation of a later edition; AC21's own programming appears to have concluded later that year.