Being privileged but challenged

Understanding Chinese international students’ college choice process

Authors

  • Fanya Wu University at Buffalo - SUNY, USA
  • Ren Liu Shandong University of Finance and Economics, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/nh8vzw94

Keywords:

Chinese international students, college choice, study abroad

Abstract

This study explores how Chinese international students at a state university navigate the U.S. college choice process. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 Chinese international college students at a large public research university located in the northeastern U.S., this study explains how these economically privileged students regard studying abroad as a “Plan B” substituting Gaokao (the Chinese College Entrance Examinations) and as an opportunity to access high-quality higher education. This study argues that these economically privileged students are challenged while navigating the college choice process because of the lack of cultural support from parents and private agents and the lack of connection with the college community before arriving in the U.S. This study sheds light on international students’ college choice process and this group of students’ specific needs at each stage. This study suggests that institutions outreach prospective international students by holding summer camps or virtual open-house opportunities.

Author Biographies

  • Fanya Wu, University at Buffalo - SUNY, USA

    FANYA WU is a PhD candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department at the University at Buffalo - SUNY in the USA. Her major research interests lie in the areas of transnational academic mobility, academic careers, international students, and college access. Email: fanyawu@buffalo.edu

  • Ren Liu, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, China

    REN LIU, PhD, is an assistant professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy at Shandong University of Finance and Economics in China. His primary research interests lie in the area of educational assessment and evaluation. Email: rliu23@sdufe.edu.cn

References

Alebeek, W. V., & Wilson, K. B. (2019). Explaining the college choice decisions of international students at a regional university in the United States. Journal of Research in International Education, 18(3), 292-309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240919892468

Alfattal, E. (2017). International students’ college choice is different!. International Journal of Educational Management, 31(7), 930-943. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2016-0095

Altbach, P. G. & Peterson, P. M. (1998). Internationalize higher education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 30(4). 36-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00091389809602630

Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3-4), 290-305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303542

Bodycott, P., & Lai, A. (2012). The influence and implications of Chinese culture in the decision to undertake cross-border higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 16(3), 252-270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315311418517

Cabrera, A. F., & LaNasa, S. M. (2000). Understanding the college-choice process. In A. F. Cabrera & S. M. La Nasa (Eds.), Understanding the college choice of disadvantaged students: New directions for institutional research. Jossey-Bass. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.10701

Chen, L. H. (2007). East-Asian students’ choice of Canadian graduate schools. International Journal of Education Advancement, 7(4), 271-306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150071

Choudaha, R. (2017). Three waves of international student mobility (1999–2020). Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 825-832. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1293872

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE.

Daily, C. M., Farewell, S., & Kumar, G. (2007). Factors Influencing the Decision of International Students to Attend US Business Schools. SSRN. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1025491

de Wit, H. (2011). Globalisation and internationalisation of higher education. RUSC: Revista De Universidad y Sociedad Del Conocimiento, 8(2), 241-248.

Gast, M. J. (2016). “You’re supposed to help me”: The perils of mass counseling norms for working-class Black students. Urban Education, 0042085916652178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916652178

Hossler, D., & Gallagher, K. (1987). Studying student college choice: A three-phase model and the implications for policymakers. College and University, 62, 207-221.

Iloh, C. (2018). Toward a new model of college “choice” for a twenty-first-century context. Harvard Educational Review, 88(2), 227-244. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-88.2.227

Institute of International Education. (2024). Open Doors data portal for international students. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/

Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodeled: Definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of studies in International Education, 8(1), 5-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315303260832

Lee, M., & Wright, E. (2016). Moving from elite international schools to the world’s elite universities: A critical perspective. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 18(2), 120-136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-01-2016-0002

Lin, L. (2020). The visible hand behind study-abroad waves: cram schools, organizational framing and the international mobility of Chinese students. Higher Education, 79(2), 259-274. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00408-1

Liu, W. (2017). The international mobility of Chinese students: A cultural perspective. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(4), 41-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v46i4.186143

Ma, Y. (2020). Academic elites or economic elites: The diversification of Chinese international students. Journal of International Students, 10(3), xxiii-xxiv. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.2003

Manski, C. F., & Wise, D. A. (1983). College choice in America. Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674422285

Mazzarol, T., & Soutar, G. N. (2002). “Push-pull” factors influencing international student destination choice. International Journal of Educational Management, 16(2), 82-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540210418403

Mazzarol, T., Soutar, G. N., & Thein, V. (2001). Critical success factors in the marketing of an educational institution: A comparison of institutional and student perspectives. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10(2), 39-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J050v10n02_04

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.

Mitchall, A. M., & Jaeger, A. J. (2018) Parental influences on low-income, first-generation students’ motivation on the path to college. The Journal of Higher Education, 89(4), 582-609. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1437664

Nicholls, S. (2018). Influences on international student choice of study destination: Evidence from the United States. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 597-622. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.94

Paulsen, M. (1990). College choice: Understanding student enrollment behavior (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 6). George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Reddick, R. J., Welton, A. D., Alsandor, D. J., Denyszyn, J. L., & Platt, C. S. (2011). Stories of success: High minority, high poverty public school graduate narratives on accessing higher education. Journal of Advanced Academics, 22(4), 594-618. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X11414133

Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Stephenson, A. L., Heckert, A., & Yerger, D. B. (2016). College choice and the university brand: Exploring the consumer decision framework. Higher Education, 71(4), 489-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9919-1

Teranishi, R. T., Ceja, M., Antonio, A. L., Allen, W. R., & McDonough, P. (2004). The college choice process for Asian Pacific Americans: Ethnicity and socioeconomic class in context. The Review of Higher Education, 27(4), 527-551. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2004.0025

Weis, L., Cipollone, K., & Jenkins, H. (2014). Class warfare: Class, race, and college admissions in top-tier secondary schools. The University of Chicago Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226135083.001.0001

Xue, Y., Li, S., & Ding, L. (2024). Choosing American colleges from afar: Chinese students’ college choice in the US. Journal of International Students, 14(3), 89-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v14i3.5873

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods. SAGE.

Zhang-Wu, Q. (2018). Chinese international students’ experiences in American higher education institutes: A critical review of the literature. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 1173-1197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.139

Downloads

Published

2025-09-13

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 9 (2025): Journal of International Students

Section

Research Articles (English, regular edition)

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of International Students

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) [year] [author]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

How to Cite

Wu, F., & Liu, R. (2025). Being privileged but challenged: Understanding Chinese international students’ college choice process. Journal of International Students, 15(9), 161-178. https://doi.org/10.32674/nh8vzw94