Abstract:

In our article we have studied the education and postgraduate settlement preferences of students from Turkey to abroad to receive university education. The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) data has been used to study the country preferences of international students from Turkey abroad. The majority of students have found that the university systems are advanced and the quality of academic broadcasting is better than the countries in Turkey. Students studying in the most popular country in the United States, the majority of them studied at a master and doctoral level. Moreover, it has been observed that graduate, master and doctoral students studying in American universities prefer to study in technical fields such as engineering and information with a higher percentage of university students studying at a similar level in Turkey. 21% of students from Turkey to American universities have found that they have received education in the institutions recognized among the world’s top 100 universities. The Republic of Turkey (T.C.) which is educated in quality institutions abroad Although the excess of their citizens is considered a wealth, the contribution of this wealth to the Turkish economy depends on the return rate of these students to Turkey. To understand the return rate, all T.C. who began to study and graduate from 2005 to 2015 in American universities. It is examined whether their first preference of residence is in the United States. It has been shown that the vast majority of students, such as 70% of graduates of the master and doctoral program, continue to stay in America after graduation. Finally, the students who graduated from three different U.S. universities were analyzed the longer-term settlement preferences and the percentage of those returning to Turkey after 10 years of graduation remained at a low level of 40%.

Keywords:

Abstract:

This study analyzes education and post-graduation residency choices of students who go abroad from Turkey to pursue higher education. It has been found that most students have chosen to study in countries where the university system is advanced and the quality of academic publishing is better than Turkey. The analysis of students who have taken education in the United States as the most commonly preferred country has shown that the majority of students has attended in the master’s- and doctoral-level programs. In addition, it has been observed that Turkish citizens studying at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate levels in the United States were more likely to study in technical fields, such as engineering and computing, compared to university students of the same level in Turkey. It has been also found that a nonnegligible ratio of Turkish students in the United States, such as 21 percent, has enrolled in universities that are considered best 100 universities in the world. Although the abundance of Turkish students studying abroad in prominent universities seems to be a richness for Turkey, whether this richness benefits the Turkish economy depends on the rate at which these students return to Turkey after their graduation. To understand the return rate, whether the initial residency choice was the United States or not has been analyzed for all Turkish graduates of American universities who started their studies in the 2005-2015 period. It has been found that most of these students, such as 70 percent of master’s and doctoral degree holders, have continued to stay initially in the United States. Lastly, the longterm residency choices of students who graduated from three American universities have been analyzed, and it has been found that the ratio of them who returned to Turkey 10 years after their graduation has stayed at a low level of 40 percent.