Does Youth Migration for Education Have an Impact on Permanent Migration Decision? Case Study on Bessarabian Students in Romania

The problem of youth migration for education in Moldova existed during and after the Soviet period. Since 1991, many young Bessarabians decided to study in Romania for various reasons [1]. The present paper reveals the results of a survey on Moldovan students from three universities in Bucharest: Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, and the University of Bucharest. 65.1% of the students surveyed were influenced in their decision to study in Bucharest by the prestige of Romanian university centers, 86.55% believe that getting a bachelor's degree in Romania helps them to find a job easier in an EU country; 50% of students are interested in attending Master courses in Romania while 29% of them want to continue working in Romania, 50% - in another country (preferably in an EU country) and only 21% intend to return to Moldova.