Educational migration in modern Russia: trends and issues

The paper considers the problems caused by the intensification of educational migration, in particular the problem of the outflow of youth from the border regions of the Russian Far East due to their intentions to obtain higher education in other regions of the country. Recently, it has been noted that the ever-expanding and encouraged academic mobility is significantly changing the intensity and return flows of migration. The paper raises questions concerning the role of HEIs in stimulating and curbing educational migration trends. The uneven location of HEIs across the Russian Federation contributes to educational migration in the attempt of applicants to overcome social inequalities and gain access to quality tertiary education on a “center-periphery” basis. Furthermore, the donor regions are facing a gradual crisis of human resources capacity in a wide range of occupational fields, as well as reproduction problems facing their future populations. Similarly, the situation is characteristic of the Far Eastern Federal District, which has seen a steady outflow of the working-age population.