Outbound Student Mobility in Russia: Creating a Path for Brain Circulation through Higher Education

Given the ambitious national strategies for science, innovations and university development inRussia, the availability for young highly qualified specialists who can be competitive at the global job market, is vital. At the same time, as of now,Russia, unlike many other countries, does not have a comprehensive set of initiatives addressing the brain drain among Russian students that obtain their degrees abroad. This article provides an analysis of motivations of Russian perspective graduate (master and doctoral) students who plan to study abroad and emigrate after graduation, as well as the factors that may positively affect their decision to return toRussia. In addition, the research provides an overview of international policies and practices to prevent the brain drain, and the opportunities for developing such policies in our country.