Malengo: Moving to Opportunity Abroad

This project evaluates the effects of international educational migration. We partner with Malengo, an NGO that provides financial support and mentoring to high-achieving but poor secondary school graduates from Uganda who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Germany. Admission to the Malengo program combines the returns to higher education with the returns to international migration to a high-income country, offering students a transformative opportunity to increase their incomes. At the same time, students may significantly raise their families’ incomes in Uganda by sending remittances and inspiring greater educational attainment. We leverage Malengo’s randomized admission among shortlisted applicants and conduct a randomized controlled trial. By tracking the outcomes of applicants and their families, friends, and neighbors in Uganda, we aim to provide the first comprehensive evidence on the effects of international educational migration. Can it realize its potential to be a game-changer for an individual’s economic opportunities and generate broader benefits for those in the country of origin? Our primary outcomes include income, subjective wellbeing, cognitive skills, and aspirations. Preliminary findings from the first follow-up interviews indicate that admitted students already experience substantial income gains within their first years of study in Germany. They and their families also report significant improvements in subjective wellbeing and higher aspirations.