This study is intended to apply a theory from psychology, SDT (Self-Determined Theory) rarely used in marketing, to understand a particular sector in China's higher education market. The author explores why an underreached theory is good for such a context, followed by explanations of its mini-theories. A conceptual framework is then proposed to understand the relationship between all variables, along with research questions and objectives. Then, some initial thoughts on how this study can be carried out are shared towards the end of the paper.