International Tracks have Different Gauges: Varying Approaches to Attracting and Integrating Chinese Students in the UK and Germany

• In Event: Mapping Migration Scapes: The Infrastructure of Migration to and from China

Abstract

By examining how universities in the UK and Germany attract Chinese students and facilitate their adaptation on arrival, this paper contributes an institutional perspective on higher education internationalization. Data is from interviews with key informants in student recruitment, international student advising and academic staff in units with concentrations of students from mainland China, as well as ethnographic observation of recruitment events in China and university induction activities. UK universities demonstrate divergent approaches to international students, with some adopting a “multicultural” approach that seeks to integrate students regardless of national origin, while others develop “international track” services directly targeting these students. By contrast, in Germany academic considerations dominate as universities seek to attract “the best” students, with free tuition seen as putting education outside the market nexus, and Chinese students expected to “fit in.” UK recruiters identify their “problem” as attracting top students in a competitive international education market, requiring much “relational work.” Advice providers in the UK raise questions about ethnic segmentation, complaining that Chinese students consult co-ethnics rather than seeking help from them, while their German counterparts attribute ethnic segmentation to student preferences and say they “respect” this choice. Academics identify “problems” of perceived divergences in academic cultures between Europe and China. In responding to uncertainties in the internationalization of universities, informants draw on sets of stereotypes of what Chinese students are like, and what they need to prosper in European university settings. These different versions of what internationalization means highlight conflicts over how to respond to these trends.

Author

• Basak Bilecen, Bielefeld University