Universities and research institutions in China that have reputations of excellence, or are highly ranked by external organizations, are among the draws for undergraduate and postgraduate international students who are flocking to the country, according to a report in the Journal of Studies in International Education (W. Wen & D. Hu J. Stud. Int. Educ. http://doi.org/cvfs; 2018). The study finds that since 1995, the number of international students in China has grown 12-fold, from 36,855 to 442,773. More than half of those students are from other Asian nations. The authors found that these students, apart from those from Japan, were more concerned with the reputation or ranking of Chinese institutions than were their counterparts from North America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The study, based on survey results and interviews with 30 international students, also found that China’s cost of living, admission policies for international students and scholarship programmes increased the nation’s appeal to foreign students. The government offers roughly US$300 million in scholarships to international students each year.