Factors Influencing Chinese Students’ Choice of an International Branch Campus: A Case Study

Abstract

With the internationalization of education, studying at international branch campuses (IBCs) is becoming a popular choice in China. Taking Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE)—Surrey International Institute as an example, this article explores the choice criteria used by Chinese students enrolled at an IBC. Based on auto-ethnography and 46 in-depth semi-structured interviews, this study found that students’ choice of this particular IBC was influenced by personal reasons, institution image, program evaluation, and city effect. The study further proposes a model of factors that may influence Chinese students’ choice of an IBC. As the IBCs are run as for-profit ventures in an increasingly competitive environment, the marketing strategies to attract Chinese students to study at IBCs based on the findings are also discussed in this article.