"Emergent" hierarchisation in access to international higher education: a study of Chinese agent-user students' overseas university application experiences.
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| Title: | "Emergent" hierarchisation in access to international higher education: a study of Chinese agent-user students' overseas university application experiences. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Yang, Ying1,2 (AUTHOR) ying.yang-3@manchester.ac.uk, Lomer, Sylvie2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Higher Education (00181560). Feb2026, Vol. 91 Issue 2, p629-650. 22p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Student recruitment, *University & college admission, *Graduate students, *Chinese-speaking students, *Global studies, *Educational equalization, Categorization (Psychology) |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | The international higher education sector has become intensely marketised, where international student recruitment has become an important campaign. Concomitantly, the use of education agents has become popular among both universities overseas and prospective international students. However, there remains a significant void in the literature that examines the norms of international student admission and how students perceive these norms through engagement with education agents. This paper draws on a longitudinal empirical study with interview data sets from 10 Chinese agent-user students and aims to explore how Chinese agent-user students perceive admission to UK postgraduate taught programmes through engagement with education agents. This paper suggests UK universities tend to use the first-degree awarding university and Three Dimensions "三维" to categorise and stratify Chinese student applicants, which is seen as unfair and exclusive. Three Dimensions "三维" as current shorthand among Chinese agent-user students, refers to GPAs, standard language test scores, and GRE/GMAT scores. Chinese agent-user students tend to internalise this hierarchisation process and hierarchise themselves. In this process, education agents function as rationalising the hierarchisation of Chinese students, fostering cross-border alliances among students and institutions, and thus contributing to consolidating the hierarchy of the international higher education sector. It draws attention to educational inequities in access to international higher education and the need for improvements in international student recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 191500343 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: "Emergent" hierarchisation in access to international higher education: a study of Chinese agent-user students' overseas university application experiences. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Ying%22">Yang, Ying</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ying.yang-3@manchester.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lomer%2C+Sylvie%22">Lomer, Sylvie</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Higher+Education+%2800181560%29%22">Higher Education (00181560)</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 91 Issue 2, p629-650. 22p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+recruitment%22">Student recruitment</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22University+%26+college+admission%22">University & college admission</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduate+students%22">Graduate students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chinese-speaking+students%22">Chinese-speaking students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Global+studies%22">Global studies</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Categorization+%28Psychology%29%22">Categorization (Psychology)</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The international higher education sector has become intensely marketised, where international student recruitment has become an important campaign. Concomitantly, the use of education agents has become popular among both universities overseas and prospective international students. However, there remains a significant void in the literature that examines the norms of international student admission and how students perceive these norms through engagement with education agents. This paper draws on a longitudinal empirical study with interview data sets from 10 Chinese agent-user students and aims to explore how Chinese agent-user students perceive admission to UK postgraduate taught programmes through engagement with education agents. This paper suggests UK universities tend to use the first-degree awarding university and Three Dimensions "三维" to categorise and stratify Chinese student applicants, which is seen as unfair and exclusive. Three Dimensions "三维" as current shorthand among Chinese agent-user students, refers to GPAs, standard language test scores, and GRE/GMAT scores. Chinese agent-user students tend to internalise this hierarchisation process and hierarchise themselves. In this process, education agents function as rationalising the hierarchisation of Chinese students, fostering cross-border alliances among students and institutions, and thus contributing to consolidating the hierarchy of the international higher education sector. It draws attention to educational inequities in access to international higher education and the need for improvements in international student recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10734-025-01433-z Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 22 StartPage: 629 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Student recruitment Type: general – SubjectFull: University & college admission Type: general – SubjectFull: Graduate students Type: general – SubjectFull: Chinese-speaking students Type: general – SubjectFull: Global studies Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational equalization Type: general – SubjectFull: Categorization (Psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: "Emergent" hierarchisation in access to international higher education: a study of Chinese agent-user students' overseas university application experiences. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Yang, Ying – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lomer, Sylvie IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 02 Text: Feb2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00181560 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 91 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Higher Education (00181560) Type: main |
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