Following some brief introductory remarks that make dear the data and literature that have been used to write this paper, there are four main sections. Firstly, there is a description of the courses relevant to citizenship education that are provided in a range of European institutions of high education. Secondly, there is a discussion about what those courses seem to suggest that students following courses in higher education need to know about citizenship. Thirdly, an argument is made for those who work within institutions of higher education to be particularly aware of the significance of two key issues: access to courses and the process which is appropriate for teaching and learning about citizenship. Fourthly, some recommendations are made about what could be done in a cross-European context so as to improve the possibilities of strengthening the potential of citizenship education. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of a number of tensions that may affect the development of citizenship education in Europe.