Understanding Contextual Factors Influencing Chinese Students to Study at a Hong Kong Institution's Intra-Country Branch Campus.

This article examines the key contextual factors influencing Mainland Chinese students' motivations to enroll at a Hong Kong institution's (HKI) intra-country international branch campus (IBC) in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of Mainland China. Using the theoretical lens of global-national-local imbrication, the study finds that students are attracted by global factors such as the strong Hong Kong brand and internationalized education; national factors including supportive government policies and shared cultural ties between Hong Kong and Mainland China; and local factors like high academic standards and a favorable function-price ratio. The research highlights the complex interweaving of these global, national, and local influences in shaping student choice within this unique intra-country cross-border higher education context. These findings contribute to understanding student motivations in transnational education and offer practical insights for policymakers and institutions developing IBCs in similar settings.