Diaspora Estonians increasingly drawn to higher education in homeland

While international student numbers still haven't recovered to pre-pandemic levels, Estonian universities report growing interest among diaspora students in earning their degrees at home — and education officials have taken note.

Estonian-American Liam Ivanko Kivirist grew up in the United States, and first ended up in Estonia after the COVID-19 pandemic began. While raised in a family with Estonian roots, he didn't grow up speaking the language.

Now in his third and final year of an Estonian-language bachelor's program at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Kivirist is fluent.

"I thought I'd just come and visit, but I immediately felt so at home that I decided I wanted to stay here," he said. "I considered what options I had for staying in Estonia longer, and then I applied to Tallinn University of Technology. And now I'm a third-year student in cybersecurity engineering and working here in Estonia."

Friends familiar with Estonian universities recommended them, but another major factor in Kivirist's decision was Estonia's free higher education.

In the U.S., a four-year bachelor's degree can set you back tens of thousands of dollars in tuition a year, which for many students means significant student loan debt.

Diaspora communities filled with potential future students

Figures from the Education and Youth Board (Harno) indicate there are tens of thousands of diaspora Estonians who could potentially be interested in studying in Estonia, and officials are now planning more targeted outreach in these communities.  

"If we include those finishing basic school, high school graduates and those of university age, we're talking roughly 25,000 young people," said Harno adviser Kalmar Kurs.

"Of course, there are also those with dual citizenship or who haven't gotten their Estonian passport," he added.

 The share of international students at Estonian universities has not yet bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. However, schools are reporting steadily growing interest specifically from the diaspora.

"TalTech is getting increasingly popular among young people abroad with Estonian roots," said Alexander Chanadiri, the university's chief international marketing specialist. "We've been visited this year by several groups and families that are considering moving to Estonia and attending TalTech."

Kivirist, who is starting the final year of his bachelor's program this fall, is happy in Estonia and has no intention of returning to the U.S.

"I'm currently working in Estonia," he said. "I'm involved in cyberdefense, and I want to stay here. The work is really interesting."

In all, more than 4,300 foreign students from 125 countries studied at Estonian universities during the 2024–2025 academic year.

This included over 1,200 new international students, nearly 100 of whom were of Estonian descent.