The article is devoted to the study of the issue of ethnic and civic identity of student youth, the education of a culture of interethnic relations in an educational institution. The article presents an analysis of the literature on the problem under consideration, considers state approaches to solving issues of ethnicity and citizenship. The relevance of the study is due to the reasons that require a timely response to the changes taking place in the modern multi-ethnic space. The multinationality of the Russian Federation, the ambiguity of historically established interethnic relations, the active development in the minds of modern youth of attitudes not only towards material, but also spiritual globalization, allow us to pay special attention to the process of forming ethnic and civic identity of the individual. The purpose of the article is to study the features of the formation of ethnic and civic identity and to identify their relationship in the student environment. The author cites the results of his own empirical studies of the general civic and ethnic identity of university students. The use of the methods of questioning, interviewing, observation and generalization of pedagogical experience helped the author in determining the main directions of ethno-cultural education of students. Ethnic identity is a necessary step in the formation of citizenship of student youth, it makes it easier and faster to interact with representatives of other ethnic groups, unites and helps to adapt to new cultural conditions.