MOTIVATIONS OF ROMANIAN STUDENTS TO STUDY ABROAD

Abstract

The paper studies the issue of international student mobility, especially diploma mobility (students taking their entire degree outside Romania). The first aim of the study was to evaluate the current situation of Romanian students’ mobility, collecting data from several organizations that have researched the issue, NGOs, UNESCO, and OECD. Also, the study aimed at improving understanding of the motivations behind the international diploma mobility of Romanian students. In order to do this, we used self-reported data, based on questionnaires, from 50 high-school students from 12^th grade, from Romania. The results indicated that the top destinations for Romanian students are: Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany, but also Denmark and Netherlands. The factors that students consider when determining the country where they will study are: improved education conditions (laboratories, equipments, quality teachers, students’ involvement in research, students’ access to resources for their projects), employment opportunities after graduation, language and cultural considerations.