Push and pull factors in the Chinese international students' decisions of returning home

Abstract

As the progress of globalization and internationalization, higher education has also entered into the stage of globalizing. Global student mobility, as one of the most obvious representatives of the globalization of higher education, has earned international awareness and attention as a wide spread social issue all over the world. China, as a pioneer to promote the progress of globalization, has become world’s largest student exporting country. It is owning to the fact that with the fast advancement of social and economical condition in China, the rising income level of middle class families has boosted the desire for Chinese students to pursuit perceived better education overseas. However, one of the most serious unexpected outcomes caused by this trend of studying overseas is the issue of brain drain, since large number of Chinese overseas students never came back after graduation. Yet, with the fluctuation of the world economical situation, the growth of China’s economical and political power is attracting more and more Chinese overseas graduates back to work. Hence, it is necessary to analyze the factors that influence Chinese students’ behavior of ‘going out’ and ‘coming back’, which is also the theme of this paper. Specifically, both of the push and pull factors that caused Chinese international students’ decisions of coming back home after graduation will be discussed.