International student recruitment campaign: experiences of selected flagship universities in China

Along with the significant improvement of Chinese universities’ visibility in the global higher education field, the Chinese government has been actively branding “Study in China” in recent years to market itself as a prevalent destination for international education. International enrolment has gai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Higher education 2020-10, Vol.80 (4), p.663-678
Main Authors: Gao, Yuan, Liu, Jin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Campaigns
Case studies
China
College students
Colleges & universities
Communication Strategies
Distinctiveness
Education
Educational marketing
Employment
Enrollment
Enrolment influences
Foreign Countries
Foreign Students
Global Approach
Globalization
Higher Education
International Education
International students
Motivation
Policy making
Recruiting
Recruitment
Student Recruitment
Students, Foreign
United Kingdom
Universities
Universities and colleges
Visibility
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Summary:Along with the significant improvement of Chinese universities’ visibility in the global higher education field, the Chinese government has been actively branding “Study in China” in recent years to market itself as a prevalent destination for international education. International enrolment has gained increasing importance and become a key component of the internationalisation discourse in China. Borrowing the theories of field and capital, this study aims to obtain a more nuanced understanding of China’s position as a leading host country for international students. Using a multiple-case study design, this study investigates the motivations for selected flagship universities in China to campaign to recruit international students, and in what way these are nested with the national priorities, as well as the key recruitment strategies and technologies they have employed. The findings help reveal the distinctiveness of the Chinese model of international student recruitment. A shift in priorities is also noted as well as controversies and tensions in respect to the employment of various recruitment strategies. The lessons of leading universities in China offer insights both for researchers and policymakers in many countries to rethink their strategies to increase their nations and universities’presence in the global landscape.
ISSN:0018-1560
1573-174X
DOI:10.1007/s10734-020-00503-8