Albanian students are leaving for universities abroad at a faster rate than in any other Western Balkan country, according to a UNESCO report on education, reflecting a combination of emigration, a declining school-age population and a shift towards international opportunities.
The report highlights that Albania has a very high percentage of students studying abroad and that this trend has accelerated in recent years. “The number of Albanian students studying abroad has increased faster than in other Western Balkan countries,” the country analysis notes. The development is closely linked to the country’s demographic and migration dynamics. The report notes that the increase in students studying abroad has gone hand in hand with the decline in the number of high school graduates in Albania, a trend linked to emigration and the shrinking school-age population. According to the analysis, the orientation towards higher education and the opportunity to study abroad have become one of the main factors that have pushed young people to stay longer in the education system. The prospect of university, domestically or abroad, combined with massive emigration, has increased the demand for secondary and higher education.
This change is also related to the transformation of Albanian emigration itself. In the 90s, it was dominated by the emigration of unskilled workers for economic reasons, while today more and more young people are leaving for education and better professional opportunities, turning education into a main migration channel.
The report estimates that around 50% of the Albanian population has had some emigration experience since 1991, while a significant proportion of them are educated at higher levels. Meanwhile, the country’s higher education system has undergone a strong transformation after joining the Bologna process in 2003, bringing about a rapid increase in student enrolments and mobility. Between 2003 and 2013, the number of students increased by an average of 13% per year, while the gross enrolment rate increased from 16% to 64%, reaching around 82% in 2024.
The report highlights that the pre-university system has also become less of a barrier to continuing studies. National exams are not used for selection into secondary schools and the vast majority of students pass them, with around 95% passing the final secondary education exam in 2017. (Monitor.al)