International branch campuses are often analysed as instruments of global higher education strategy. Less attention, however, has been paid to how students themselves arrive at the decision to enrol in them.
China’s international branch campuses are expanding rapidly, promising global pathways and English-medium degrees. But new evidence suggests they disproportionately serve urban, affluent students, with family income emerging as a decisive factor in access. Rather than widening participation, these institutions risk reinforcing existing inequalities within Chinese higher education.
