Why students leave Chinese elite universities for doctoral studies abroad: Institutional habitus, career script and college graduates’ decision to study abroad

Abstract

Despite the growing research capacity and rise of Chinese universities in global rankings, the number of Chinese students going abroad to pursue doctorate degrees is still large. Previous studies argue that a series of pull–push factors at systemic and individual levels affect the motivation and outbound mobility of students. However, the factors at the institutional level and the changing landscape of Chinese higher education have been rarely examined. To fill this gap, this study interviewed 31 graduates from the chemistry department of an elite university in China, which ranks among the top universities in the world. The insights offered in this study are based on the concepts of institutional habitus and career scripts in academic career research and highlight the motivations of students to go abroad for doctoral education. One of the arguments of this article is that students’ motivation to go abroad is influenced by organisational factors (that is, institutional habitus) and career scripts, which are partly shaped by central government policy.