EDUCATIONAL IMMIGRATION TO MOLDOVA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Abstract

The mass emigration of the youth from Moldova including educational emigration, usually without a subsequent return home, has negatively impacted both the demographic situation as a whole and the number of students in the higher education institutions of Moldova. However, immigration issues are not given the proper attention as a possible factor partially compensating the demographic or economic migration losses. The country’s geographical position and the possibility of free movement in EU countries contribute to the increase of the country’s attractiveness for foreign citizens. The internalization of the higher education system allows the Republic of Moldova to involve itself more actively in the educational migration, namely attract foreign students to the higher education institutions of the Republic of Moldova, use the educational immigration as an investment potential for the development of higher education institutions. This article displays the results of an investigation of the situation on attracting foreign students to Moldova’s higher education institutions. The work is founded on the analysis of the national legislation in education and migration fields as well as the results of a qualitative research carried out in 2022 by interviewing specialists of higher education institutions responsible for the work with foreign students. The aim of the research is to find out possibilities to increase the universities’ potential in attracting foreign students, existing possibilities and main impediments in this process. The research results have shown that to attract foreign students to Moldovan higher education institutions, it is necessary to determine more exactly the institutions or faculties of highest priority which could be attractive for foreign prospective students, to adopt a systematic approach to the elaboration and promotion of the educational migration, taking into account the specifics of the countries in the region and to consider the possibility to amend the migration legislation.