The role of demographic policies in the internationalization of Romanian higher education

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education has been intensely studied at both national and institutional level. However, in recent years, it has been increasingly influenced by national level policies aimed at losing perceived talent gaps emerging in European economies. Several countries have enhanced facilities allowing international students to become permanent residents, even while tightening immigration requirements for other third country nationals. Such policy changes would imply that the international student has become a public policy target from a demographic policy perspective. As part of an enhanced focus on the internationalization of higher education, Romania enacted significant legal changes to its immigration laws in November 2018, altering the conditions under which international students can become permanent or long-term residents. Deploying the use of interviews, as well as a public policy analysis of recent legal and regulatory changes, this paper aims to explore the degree to which universities are using new legal provisions to enhance their internationalization efforts. This should offer a clearer picture of how regulatory changes shape the implementation of internationalization strategies among Romanian universities.