Pursuing Transnational Mobilities in the Education-Migration Nexus: Mainland Chinese International Students in World-Level U.S. Universities

Abstract

China has emerged as the leading source of international students, accounting for 14% of global total. The number climbed dramatically after 2000, with an annual growth of about 30%. Chinese international students aim first and foremost at universities in the United States. Since 2010, Chinese students have become the largest international student population in the United States. Their number increased to about 275,000 in 2013/14, constituting nearly 31% of total international student enrollment in the United States. Although the number of Chinese returnees has increased significantly in recent years – from about 30% a few years ago to more than 50% most recently, the return rate of highly-skilled professionals remains low. Prestigious U.S. universities have attracted the best students from China. They are the cream of the crop that both China and the United States want to absorb. As such, they are potential migrants but still closely tied to China and simultaneously open to global opportunities. This group of students provides a significant lens for us to further our theoretical understanding of highly-skilled Chinese migration. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with Mainland Chinese international students studying in two world-level universities in California regarding their motives, experiences, and aspirations, this paper seeks to elucidate how the return-migration decision-making process of these students is shaped by the desire for transnational mobilities.