Return Migration of Ethnic Turkish Youth to Turkish Universities

We examined the return migration of ethnic Turkish youth who were living in European countries to universities in Turkey. We conducted semistructured interviews with 27 students who had come to Turkey from Western European countries to attend university. We found that the education system of the host country was more difficult for participants than Turkey’s education system. Cultural capital, which includes parental higher education expectations, ethnic native and host country language skills, and ethnic culture, affected participants’ return migration decision making. Social capital, involving previous visits to see relatives in Turkey, also affected this decision. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.