International Students’ Motivations and Decisions to do a PhD in Canada - Proposing a Three-Layer Push-Pull Framework

Oct 15, 2026

The study explores which factors shape international students’ decisions to pursue doctoral studies in Canada. Using the push-pull model and the mechanism of educational decision making, it draws on semi-structured interviews to examine political and economic forces, institutional factors, social background and experience, and individual motivation. Findings identify influences at the individual, institutional, and country levels, including past experiences, funding, faculty members, and immigration policies, and show variation by origin regions and disciplines.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

International education landscape and changing context

Push-pull model and existing research gaps

Study purpose and conceptual framework

International Students’ Motivations and Decisions to do a PhD in Canada: Proposing a Three-Layer Push-Pull Framework You Zhang University of Toronto Michael O’Shea University of Toronto Leping Mou University of Toronto Abstract The study aims to explore which factors influence international students’ decision to pursue doctoral studies in Canada. Drawing on the push-pull model and the mechanism of educational decision making, this study uses semi-structured interviews to gather data and explores themes such as political and economic forces, institutional factors, social background and experience, and individual motivation in students’ decision making. Our study identifies multiple factors at the individual, institutional, and country levels that influence students’ decision making, including students’ past experiences, funding, faculty members, and immigration policies. Moreover, it finds that the factors vary by students’ regions of origin and disciplines of study. Our findings, focused on international doctoral students in Canada, add to the ongoing conversation about student mobility and add nuances on international students’ decision-making process in times of shifting landscape of higher education internationalization. Keywords: Canada, decision making, international doctoral students, push-pull model Résumé Cette étude vise à explorer les facteurs qui influencent la décision des étudiants internationaux de poursuivre des études doctorales au Canada. S’inspirant du modèle « push-pull » et du mécanisme de prise de décision éducative, elle utilise des entretiens semi-dirigés pour collecter des données et explorer des thèmes tels que les forces politiques et économiques, les facteurs institutionnels, le contexte social et l’expérience ainsi que la motivation individuelle dans la prise de décision des étudiants. Notre étude recense plusieurs facteurs individuels, institutionnels et nationaux qui influencent la prise de décision des étudiants. Nos résultats, axés sur les doctorants internationaux, ajoutent à la conversation en cours sur la mobilitéétudiante et jettent un éclairage nouveau sur le processus décisionnel des étudiants internationaux à l’approche de la fin dela troisième vague d’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur. Mots-clés : Canada, prise de décision, doctorants internationaux, modèle « push-pull » Introduction We carry out our research at a time when the international education landscape shifts significantly and approaches the end of the third wave of international student mobility (Choudaha, 2017) . The United States, the world’s historic leader in attracting international students, has experienced a slowdown in international education growth, and is currently facing competition, not only from traditional Anglophone competitors, such as Canada and Australia, but also new destination countries such as China (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2020) . Many crises and geopolitical uncertainties complicate the decision making of international students. These include Chinese-Canadian political tensions over the Chinese technology giant Huawei, a sharp rise in Chinese–US tensions, and Brexit, among others (Mascitelli & Chung, 2019) . More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur 51:2 (2021) has added more uncertainties in the field of higher education internationalization. At the same time, Canada, joined by higher education institutions (HEIs) interested in reaping the benefits of internationalization, has made immigration a national priority (Government of Canada, 2020) . These larger geopolitical tensions, in addition to the pandemic, might affect international student mobility. Scholars have extensively explored factors affecting international students’ decisions to study abroad (see Chen, 2016; Jafar & Legusov, 2021; Wu, 2020) . The most dominant framework considers push-pull factors

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

The study aims to identify factors that influence international students’ decisions to pursue PhD studies in Canada.

Which framework and data method does the study use?

It applies the push-pull model and the educational decision-making mechanism, using semi-structured interviews to collect data and analyze themes.

What types of factors influence students’ doctoral decisions?

The study highlights influences at individual, institutional, and country levels, including past experiences, funding, faculty members, and immigration policies, as well as political and economic forces.

Oct 15, 2026

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