Interest in higher education abroad at very high levels

The desire of young people to study abroad, encouraged by their families, is continuously growing. There are both positive and negative aspects to this trend, as often these young individuals do not return to work in their home country. Interest in pursuing higher education abroad has increased compared to the previous year, with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom remaining top study destinations for Romanians. The new generations are inclined towards fields of study such as Creative Business, A.I., or Cyber Security, as announced by representatives from IntegralEdu. Alexandra Bădescu, Deputy Country Manager at IntegralEdu, stated that a list of study destinations for Romanians ranks the Netherlands in the first place, followed by the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Furthermore, there is a noticeable increase in interest in newer destinations like France, Finland, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Malta, Portugal, and Mauritius. Bădescu also mentioned that the number of Romanian students in the Netherlands has increased by almost 20% compared to the previous year, reaching 6,717 students. This places Romania third in terms of the number of students, after Germany with 22,775 students and Italy with 7,633 students. She noted, "In the Netherlands, despite government and political discussions about the possibility of limiting the number of programs taught in English, the situation remains unchanged for the next year. Moreover, universities encourage European students and oppose such approaches, and the Dutch government has reintroduced a grant, along with other funding methods. A similar openness to receiving foreign students is observed at some universities in the United Kingdom. Even though most of them have adjusted their fees for Europeans after Brexit, many universities have kept the old fee level of £9,250 for Europeans. Some of these will be present at this weekend's World Education Fair."

In terms of candidates' interest in studying abroad, the top fields for this year are as follows: Economics and Management, Computer Science, Art and Design, Engineering, Psychology, Law, Media and Communication, Tourism, Hotel Management, and Culinary Arts, Medicine, Social Sciences, and Humanities. The most sought-after study program in the Economics and Management field is International Business, and when it comes to destinations, most young people choose to study Business in the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Psychology is another field of interest among future international students, with the Netherlands being the preferred study destination. Additionally, after the pandemic, there is a noticeable increase in interest in the field of tourism and hospitality. "A novelty for this year is the orientation towards Media and Communication programs, closely linked to the job market and, consequently, to new fields of activity. For example, a university in Ireland that will be present in Bucharest collaborates with Windmill Lane Studio, one of the world's most famous recording studios, with collaborations with famous artists such as Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, U2, and many others," said Bădescu. More and more universities are starting to develop new niche programs with great potential for the future, such as Creative Business, where young people develop their management and business knowledge in creative and artistic fields. According to her, other niche programs that are becoming highly sought after by both young people and specialized companies are Creative Media & Game Technology, Cyber Security, and Environmental Science. Additionally, interest in studies in the field of A.I. is self-explanatory, both from young people and companies. In the United Kingdom, there are already universities that offer scholarships for this program.

Regarding admission to high schools abroad, compared to previous years, the number of requests for secondary and high school studies abroad remains constant, as stated by Raluca Niculae, Manager of the Camps and High Schools Department at IntegralEdu. She noted, "As for tuition fees for secondary and high school studies abroad, they can range from £17,500 to £50,000 per year for the UK, and for the USA, they range from $25,000 to $90,000 annually. In Spain, the annual costs for boarding schools average around euro30,000, in Portugal, it's euro18,500, and in Germany, they range from euro25,000 to euro45,000. Although the fees may seem substantial at first glance, they include tuition, accommodation, meals, and a variety of extracurricular activities for students to choose from. It's worth noting that many high schools offer academic, sports, or artistic scholarships ranging from 5% to 100% of the tuition fee."

Demand for educational camps abroad doubles from year to year, thanks to the emergence of new programs and destinations, according to Raluca Niculae. She mentioned that students can experience a wide range of study areas in educational camps and internships organized on campuses like UCL, Imperial College, Oxford, and Cambridge, covering fields such as media & performing arts, sound design & production, forensic science/criminalistics, video game design, public speaking & leadership, and more. On October 1st, the World Education Fair (WEF) will take place in Bucharest, with two local editions in Cluj (September 29) and Constanţa (September 30). The event will host representatives from 53 foreign institutions in 12 countries: the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and Romania.