The 4 Reasons why Chinese students study abroad

I’ve been interviewing some Chinese students about studying abroad and their motivations basically fall into these four types.

1) International Degree
2) Move Abroad
3) Cultural Experience
4) High Quality Education

1) International Degree for Jobs

The first type are those that are looking to get a degree in another country so they can come back to China and be more competitive in the job market. China’s higher education system is very competitive and it is very hard to get into some of the top universities. If you have a foreign university it can give you more access to jobs back in China.

For these kind of students they are more interested in getting a fast degree from a higher ranked university and they really care about how that will help them to get a job back in China. UK is a popular destination for these kind of students because it has 1 year master’s degree that are highly ranked and respected in China. English is also a valuable skill to further develop to help with a career. The alumni community within China is a very important asset for universities trying to recruit in China. Those students may be more likely to stay within their group of other Chinese people when they do study abroad and less likely to mix with other students.

2) Move Abroad

There are many students who want to leave China and live abroad to work or build their life. This is simply a matter of moving somewhere that is better – where they are going to have a better life, working and relationship opportunities etc., There may be push and pull factors to moving abroad.

They would be more internationally minded already and would probably already be quite familiar with other countries through overseas travel or international friends in China. These kind of students would care more about the living environment, visa policies, ability to work and live in that country. The political environment and safety of that country are also important.

These students are particularly interested in Canada, Australia, or Germany if they have attractive possibilities to work and stay after. The US is becoming less attractive for many Chinese students because of perceived unfriendliness in the political environment.

3) Cultural Experience

There are many students who want to get some kind of international experience. They are more seduced by travel, food, exotic experiences. They might be quite interested in learning another foreign language. Europe is particularly attractive because of the ability to travel to many countries on one visa for relatively low cost. The quality of life is particularly important, dormitory arrangements, safety and being part of a community but perhaps a community that is more integrated into that society rather than together with other Chinese students. Finding ways to help them integrate more in the local life may help improve their experience.

4) High Quality Education

Some other students might be more interested in the subject they are looking to study. They be very serious about doing further study in a specific major and the best place to do this might be abroad. They might be interested in further work or further research at master’s, phd or postdoc level. They would care more about the ranking of the university, strengths of the programs offered by that university, the experience and level of the professor.

How can international universities attract students based on these types?

What the students cares about depends on the type of student.  Some students are completely matching one of these types, but others might be two or more types. It is important for universities when recruiting Chinese students to be aware of these types when marketing their strengths and developing their brand to Chinese students and in the China market.

They factors that Chinese students care about when choosing a university are:
– The ranking
– Cost
– Living environment (including politics policies, etc.,)
– Reputation
– Alumni community in China
– Community experience in target country