Globalization has driven growth in the market for cross-border students. Mainland China, with a burgeoning economy and the largest national population, has become an important source of cross-border students. This study identifies ideal attraction in mainland China to destinations for cross-border tertiary education, as expressed by ideal first and second choice destinations in 2008. It then compares ideal interest with the actual destinations of students over the ten-year period between 1999 and 2008. Findings indicate that the USA and South Korea are under-performing while Japan and Australia are over-performing against the mainland Chinese public's ideal demand. Countries, territories and higher education institutions hoping to attract mainland Chinese cross-border students could optimize their draw by raising their awareness and addressing the concerns of this increasingly important market.