Although there is a growing trend in China of students' willingness to study abroad, the factors influencing parents' willingness to send children to study abroad remain understudied. Based on the data of family panel studies in China, we tested the factors influencing parents' willingness to send children to study abroad. Our findings showed that parents' educational expectations and professional reputations significantly increased parents' willingness, with the former having the greatest impact on willingness than other factors. Interestingly, Communist Party members had a low probability of sending children to study abroad. We found no significant differences between urban and rural areas regarding the impact of parents' educational expectations, professional reputation and political status on parents' willingness to send children to study abroad, yet urban residents were more willing and more likely than rural residents to send children to study abroad because of environmental problems.