Romanians Studying Abroad

Romanian students are increasingly going abroad to study

România Internațional, 09.10.2019, 14:01

Romanian students are increasingly going abroad to study. If in the year 2000 there were 12,500 students studying abroad, and in 2018, 37,000 students studied outside the country, according to data from UNESCO. The most popular universities were British ones, where tuition is covered by state loans to be paid after graduation, once a job is secured. Almost a quarter of Romanian students going to school abroad are in the UK. In 2016, they numbered about 10,000, while this year there are 15,000. The preferred destinations aside from the UK are France, Denmark, and The Netherlands, countries with significant Romanian migrant populations, with very good educational system, and easily accessible for Romanian students. In The Netherlands, tuition is very affordable, while in Denmark it is free. In addition to accessibility in terms of tuition affordability, foreign universities attract Romanian youth because they have a wide variety of educational programs, emphasizing the practical side of things. They also offer a wide variety of scholarships and various other facilities. Moreover, they can easily get internships, which facilitates finding jobs with the companies offering them. Studies show that by 2030 AI and computers would replace humans in various jobs. Young people are aware of that, and they are seeking careers that take that into account. This is the case for our guest Robert, who went to The Netherlands to study IT:

“I have always been interested in robotics and artificial intelligence. It is a new area, with prospects for the future. I found out that I could study that in Holland, at Groningen University. It is a research school that has developed educational programs that emphasize innovation and quality. We have a lot of practice courses. I dont know if Ill come back to Romania after graduation.”

Matei was a star pupil at the Tudor Vianu IT National College of Bucharest, and has been studying in the UK for the last four years. We asked him why he went there to study:

“The reason I chose to study abroad was because I wanted to try something new. I wanted to travel anyway, and I thought going to England to study would be two birds with one stone. Also, in England I found this forensic psychology course that was not available in Romania. There are a lot of differences between the two school systems, Romanian and British. In England you find a much wider range of courses, and the relationship between teachers and students if much more relaxed, which lessens the tension. In addition, we have much less hours spent in the classroom. This year I go to school 7 hours per week, and the rest of the time I study by myself, which is great. People here are really open minded, the only difficulty has been being far from my family, but I think this is a natural step in order to be able to spread ones wings, leaving the nest at some point.”

We asked Matei what he plans on doing after he graduates, and if he plans on returning to Romania.

“Im not quite sure, its a big world out there. This is the first foreign country I have ever lived in. I am open to any opportunities, even returning to Romania, maybe another country… who knows. I dont want to feel boxed in by the countrys borders.”

The League of Romanian Students Abroad was set up to come to the aid of student in the Diaspora by providing information on opportunities for studying abroad, but especially encouraging them to return to the country after graduation. Here is Robert Stredie, the president of LRSA:

“We are lobbying politicians to change and pass laws that are favorable to Romanian students abroad as we speak. The Constitutional Committee in the Senate put out a draft law that includes a provision that we militated for, that of providing students abroad the possibility of traveling by train free of charge during vacations. In addition to lobbying, we are also involved in projects to bring together Romanians across the world, who study both in the country and abroad. We want to better connect students abroad with the community in Romania, because when they get there they get disconnected from their country. We have projects such as Summer Camp, where each summer, in various counties, we try to bring together students from all over the world for all kinds of common activities. Also, we are awarding excellence at the Gala of Romanian Students Abroad, every beginning of a year, but we also hold debates on topics of interest for these students. Next year we will have the Forum of Romanian Students Abroad, where we will be discussing the Law of Education. We will also be discussing topics such as the system of teaching medicine, which is so good that even foreign students come to study here, but others that dont work that well.”

This summer, the League of Romanian Students Abroad and thee Romanian Business Leaders organization, with their RePatriot project, have signed a protocol to develop joint projects of mutual interest, by better connecting students abroad with the country. They will be running internships in Romanian companies in 2020, so that enterprising students can come and invest and develop start-ups in Romania.