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 the demographic situation and the number of students in Moldova's higher education institutions. The internalization of the higher education system allows Moldova to actively involve itself in educational migration to attract international students to Moldova's universities and use academic immigration as investment potential for developing higher education institutions. The article displays the results of an investigation related to attracting international students to Moldova's higher education institutions. The work is based on the analysis of national legislation in education and migration fields. The results of qualitative research were carried out in 2022 by interviewing specialists of higher education institutions responsible for the work with international students. The study aims to find out opportunities to increase the universities' potential in attracting international students, possibilities and main impediments in this process. The results show that to attract international students to Moldovan universities, it is necessary to determine the institutions or facilities y that could be attractive for international students. A systematic approach to the development and promotion of educational migration should be adopted, considering the specifics of the countries in the region and the possibility of amending the migration legislation.

Keywords

• international educational migration
• higher education
• foreign students
• export of educational services