This article analyses the phenomenon of student self-governance in terms of the sociological approach. The term «student self-governance » considers three approaches: student self-governance as the independent activity of students, student self-governance as the form of educational work, student self-governance as the youth policy, and also in this article refers to the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. The author emphasizes the idea that the student self-governance is an important factor of civil society development in Russia.