Factors of international student migration from Tajikistan to Russia. Case of Northern (Arctic) Federal University

Abstract

Analyzed is the problem of growing importance of international educational migration, associated not only with the increase in the number of international students, but also with the growing political, economic and cultural influence of educational migration as process. One of the most perspective countries in the sphere of Russian higher education export is the Republic of Tajikistan. The aim of the article is to present the results of study of the factors, that have influenced on student migration from Tajikistan to Russia. The author conducts a survey based on an analysis of key statistical data from the Center for Sociological Research of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, as well as a questionnaire survey, semi-formalized interviews with NArFU students from Tajikistan, as well as participant observation in the framework of professional activities. Within the study information channels about higher education opportunities were analyzed, alternative educational destinations were identified, and an analysis of the factors of student migration to Russia and Russian university (NArFU) was carried out. According to the results of the study, it is found that different factors form student migration in general: the initial interest to study abroad, approved by the family in case of positive experience of relatives, studying abroad, while key factors for studying in Russia include possibility of getting quality education with scholarship support. The decision-making process of choosing the university is influenced by the demand for an educational program, career prospects, university ranking, however, the combination of the factors can vary significantly. The authors consider the importance of the ethno-cultural specifics of the region in analyzing the flows of student migration, as well as during the university activities of developing the export of higher educational programs to Tajikistan.