Factors Influencing Student Choice of Transnational Higher Education in China

Abstract

In this paper, we explore Chinese students' choice of transnational higher education, in the form of the joint programmes delivered collaboratively by overseas and local Chinese universities. Through a case study of the students in the joint porgrammes provided by a UK university and a Chinese University, the findings indicate that students' choice of transnational higher education is influenced by: 1) the push factors from the domestic higher education, such as a lack of access to satisfying domestic higher education institutions, and the low competitiveness of domestic degrees; 2) the push factors of the overseas higher education, such as comparatively higher costs and worries about not being able to adapt to the overseas environment; and 3) the pull factors from the transnational higher education, such as offering students with a transitional period, comparative lower cost and satisfying education quality. The research adds understanding to the Chinese student choice of transnational higher education, and joint programmes in particular which is a major form of transnational higher education in China but under-researched.