Circulating East to East

Abstract

Every year, substantial numbers of students choose to study abroad, and China is one of the largest exporters of international students. Interestingly, instead of choosing English-speaking countries, increasingly more Chinese students are choosing nearby Asian countries as their destination to study abroad, particularly Korea. Despite this emerging trend, little is known regarding why Chinese students have begun to choose Korea and its universities or their level of educational satisfaction with their study-abroad choices. Extrapolating from the push–pull model, this study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine factors affecting students’ choice to study in Korea. Notably, this study concluded that although low institution selectivity is a strong pull factor, that selectivity is also a determinant of students’ study-abroad satisfaction. This study contributes to the limited research by exploring the distinct push–pull factors of Chinese students who are studying in Asia—East to East—particularly in Korea.