Study: Young Romanians are changing their strategies for studying abroad

The international educational mobility of young people from Romania and South-Eastern Europe is going through a period of significant transformation, according to an analysis conducted by IntegralEdu, which tracks developments from 2021 to 2026. The data, based on applications and programs managed by the company in six countries in the region, indicate a paradigm shift: studying abroad is no longer perceived as an alternative to the local system, but as a natural stage in professional development. According to Alexandra Bădescu, Deputy General Manager of IntegralEdu, international experience has become a normal option for young people, oriented towards the development of global skills and integration into the labor market: "From all our international experience, we have observed that studying abroad is no longer an "escape” phenomenon for young Romanians or those from neighboring countries. In recent years, it has become a natural fact, which is no longer perceived in antithesis to local university education. It is a paradigm shift among young people who want global social openness and broadening of their professional horizons after graduation. Many of them even return home with completely changed professional visions and approaches, after the international educational and social experience.”

• The Netherlands remains the main destination, but is losing its dominance

The analysis shows that, for Romanian students, the Netherlands continues to be the main university destination, with approximately 49% of total applications in the last five years. However, its share is decreasing: 56% in 2021, 36% in 2025. The decrease is offset by the diversification of options, with visible increases for: Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, Austria. At the same time, interest in the United Kingdom and Denmark has decreased, especially after Brexit and the legislative changes regarding the access of European students. At the regional level, the same trend is observed: reducing dependence on dominant destinations and expanding interest towards universities in southern and western Europe.

• Fields of study: technology and business dominate

Romanians' academic preferences have remained relatively stable in the last five years.

The top places are constantly: Computer Science, Business & Management.

However, the period 2024-2025 brings a visible diversification, with:

Medicine / Health Sciences and Architecture entering the top. According to IntegralEdu experts, this evolution reflects the maturation of educational decisions and the orientation towards interdisciplinary and applied fields. The report highlights the decisive role of specialized consultancy in the international admission process. Services include: personalized academic guidance, support for files and scholarships, training workshops, direct relations with universities. According to the company, the admission success rate can reach up to 100% when the process is professionally managed.

• Educational camps: strategic move towards the USA and Asia

Data analyzed by Integraledu show a significant transformation of the international educational camps market in the last five years. If in the period 2021-2023 the demand in Romania had a structure strongly concentrated in a single destination, starting with 2024 an accelerated diversification is taking shape, and 2026 marks an obvious strategic repositioning towards destinations in the United States and Asia. In the first stage analyzed, between 2021 and 2023, the Romanian market was dominated by the United Kingdom, which represented between 54% and 63% of the total number of educational camps chosen. Switzerland also had a significant share in 2021, exceeding 40%, but demand decreased considerably in the following years. This stage was characterized by a structural dependence on one or two dominant destinations. Starting with 2024, the dynamics change. The United States records accelerated growth, reaching almost 30% in 2025, and Japan strongly enters the preferences of Romanian families, with an initial peak in 2024 and a spectacular increase in 2026, when it already reached over 28% of the total. In parallel, the share of requests for the United Kingdom falls below the 40% threshold, a sign of a market that is beginning to balance. "In the case of programs in the United Kingdom, a change in profile is observed. In the last two years, thematic academic camps, sports programs and internships, all built on the basis of the English language, have predominated. The demand is no longer exclusively aimed at improving the language, but at specialized educational experiences, with clear added value for the students' academic career, by connecting to the economic centers of the future”, explains Raluca Niculae, Manager of the Camps and High Schools Department. The year 2026 confirms this rebalancing. Japan and the United States are becoming major growth engines, and a new Asian destination, China, appears in the portfolio, signaling in the growing interest for new socio-cultural experiences and for relevant global skills in the long term.

• Major educational event in Bucharest

IntegralEdu is organizing the ”World Education Fair” (WEF) in Bucharest, on February 28, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, where over 40 universities and international institutions will be present with hundreds of study programs dedicated to young Romanians. On February 26 and 27, two local editions of the WEF will also take place in Timişoara and Cluj. Visitors will have the opportunity to talk to university representatives, participate in presentations and workshops and find out details about scholarships and international programs.