Higher education migration trends in Bulgaria and Turkey

Recent data highlights shifting patterns in international student mobility and graduate migration within the region. In Bulgaria, Turkey has emerged as the primary destination for students studying abroad, accounting for 24% of the outbound student population in 2024. This represents a change from previous trends where Germany and the United Kingdom were the leading choices. Other notable destinations for Bulgarian students include the Netherlands (23%) and Germany (21%), while the United Kingdom and Austria each account for 6%. Bulgaria maintains a net outflow of students, with approximately 12% of its students traveling abroad, which is double the OECD average of 6%. Conversely, international students in Bulgaria represent about 8% of the student population, below the OECD average of 12%. Greece is the leading source of foreign students in Bulgaria, making up 20% of the incoming population.

In Turkey, statistics from 2025 indicate that the migration rate for higher education graduates has risen to 2.2%, up from 2% the previous year. This migration is most prevalent among men (2.7%) and is highest in Istanbul (4%), followed by Izmir, Ankara, Eskişehir, and Yalova. Graduates from foundation universities show a higher migration rate of 4.4% compared to 1.9% for state university graduates; notably, full scholarship students from foundation universities show a migration rate of 8.6%. By field of study, information and communication technologies saw the highest migration at 7%, while molecular biology and genetics recorded the highest undergraduate rate at 13.1%. The most common destinations for Turkish graduates include Germany (22%), the United States (16.9%), and the United Kingdom (10.5%).