Educational migration and demographic resilience: the role of student mobility in local development

Contemporary non-metropolitan regions of Central and Eastern Europe face significant demographic challenges, characterised by depopulation trends and accelerating population aging. This research addresses two primary objectives: first, to examine the significance of higher education-related migration inflows for demographic resilience (conceptualised as a locality's capacity to regenerate its population following structural demographic shifts) and second, to identify how flows' impact on graduate retention and human capital accumulation, using Opole – a Polish non-metropolitan city – as a case study. The methodology combines empirical research among students in Opole with statistical analysis to evaluate the long-term demographic and structural implications of educational migration for both city and region. Initial findings suggest that educational migration – specifically, the influx of students to the specific non-metropolitan area – may serve as a crucial mechanism for building demographic resilience through the attraction and retention of young cohorts. Our analysis indicates that such educational migration patterns may contribute to both mitigating adverse demographic trends and enhancing regional human capital stocks. Particularly significant in fostering demographic resilience is the retention of female graduates by academic centers. These findings carry substantial implications for regional policy formulation and higher education development strategies in other non-metropolitan regions confronting demographic challenges.