Transcarpathian Student Mobility towards Hungary in the Light of the International Preparatory Institute in Budapest

Student mobility means migration within the country and crossing its borders. One of its forms is realized in the case of applicants to tertiary education coming from beyond the borders of Hungary who most frequently choose the mother country as the place of their further studies. A popular opportunity for them is to apply to the Balassi Institute's university preparatory training course (formerly called International Preparatory Institute), the aim of which is to get young people living in the successor states to catch up with the requirements in the mother country. As a central question, I will investigate the factors influencing the motivation for selecting a higher educational institution of Transcarpathian young people, as well as impacting their life career aspirations (closeness of home and Hungary). The research method applied was the focus group interview. Research findings suggest that the motivation for selecting a higher educational institution of Transcarpathian young people was mainly influenced by the peculiarities of the Ukrainian system of education, as well as the current political and economic situation.