UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’ UNIVERSITY CHOICE DECISIONS: THE INFLUENCE OF INSTITUTIONAL, FINANCIAL, AND REPUTATIONAL FACTORS

Relifra; Muhamad Ilham

doi:10.61677/count.v4i1.973

Authors

Relifra Entrepreneurship Study Program, Universitas Adzkia
Muhamad Ilham Film and Television Production Study Program, Institut Seni Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61677/count.v4i1.973

Keywords:

University choice, education cost, study programs, accreditation, higher education.

Abstract

University choice is a complex decision shaped by financial, academic, and institutional considerations, and the relative importance of these factors may vary across higher education contexts. Understanding these considerations is essential for universities seeking to align recruitment strategies with students’ actual priorities. This study aimed to examine the effects of education cost, study programs, scholarship programs, university promotion, accreditation, and university reputation on students’ university choice decisions. A quantitative explanatory design was employed involving 100 respondents drawn from a population of 1,330 students at Universitas XYZ using accidental sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using multiple linear regression with IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings show that education cost, study programs, and accreditation were positively associated with students’ university choice decisions. Scholarship programs and university reputation also showed significant relationships, but in directions contrary to the proposed hypotheses, while university promotion did not show a significant independent relationship. Overall, the results indicate that students’ university choices are more consistently associated with directly assessable attributes, particularly affordability and perceived value, academic program relevance, and accreditation. Universities should therefore strengthen these substantive attributes while improving scholarship accessibility and ensuring that promotional and reputation-building efforts are supported by clear evidence of educational value.

References

Akullo, T., & Musisi, F. K. (2023). The Impact of Financial Aid Programmes on Access to Higher Education in Ugandan Universities. The Uganda Higher Education Review. 11(1), 167-178. https://doi.org/10.58653/nche.v11i1.13

Al-Abdallah, G., & Ababakr, K. (2025). Exploring the Mediating Effect of Digital Versus Traditional Marketing Communication on Students’ Selection of Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1155/hbe2/5510524

Aliyeva, L., & Aliyev, V. (2025). The Impact of University Presentation on Quality and Quantity of Students: The Case of Azerbaijani Students. International Review of Management and Marketing. 15(3), 200-208. https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.18024

Amoozegar, A., Nguyen, L., Krishnasamy, H., Omanee, B., & Vasudevan, A. (2025). Impact of University Reputation and Academic Quality on University Selection Among Vietnamese Postgraduate Students: A Moderation Analysis of Gender. Education Sciences, 15(5), 536-552. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15050536

Bernal, G., Abadía, L., Álvarez-Arango, L., & De Witte, K. (2023). Financial aid uncertainty and low-income students’ higher education preferences. Higher Education, 18(1), 1845–1863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01094-w

Callender, C., & Melis, G. (2022). The Privilege of Choice: How Prospective College Students’ Financial Concerns Influence Their Choice of Higher Education Institution and Subject of Study in England. The Journal of Higher Education, 93(3), 477–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1996169

Camilleri, M. (2021). Evaluating service quality and performance of higher education institutions: a systematic review and a post-COVID-19 outlook. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 13(1), 268–281. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijqss-03-2020-0034

Chandrasekhar, V., Kalai, J., & Okoth, U. (2025). Service Quality as a Predictor of Students’ Choice of Academic Programs: Perceptions of Kenyans of Indian Origin in Kenyan Public and Private Universities. East African Journal of Education Studies, 8(1), 597-611. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.1.2794

Duong, M., & Bach, T. (2023). Influence of socioeconomic status and university ’ s internal environment factors on university- choice decisions of postgraduate students in Vietnam. International Journal of Education and Practice, 11(2), 218–231. https://doi.org/10.18488/61.v11i2.3322

Eidimtas, A., & Juceviciene, P. (2014). Factors Influencing School-leavers Decision to Enrol in Higher Education. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116(1), 3983–3988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.877

Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics. SAGE Publications. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=JIrutAEACAAJ

Green, S. B. (1991). How Many Subjects Does It Take To Do A Regression Analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 26(3), 499–510. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2603_7

Hai, N. C., Thanh, N. H., Chau, T., Sang, T., & Dong, V. (2023). Factors affecting the decision to choose a university of high school students: A study in An Giang Province, Vietnam. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 12(1), 535-545. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i1.22971

Han, P. (2014). A literature review on college choice and marketing strategies for recruitment. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 43(2), 120–130.

Işık, M. (2022). Expectations and Level of Satisfaction of University Students from the Higher Education System. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 8(1), 163-178. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.8.1.163

Juhaeri, J., & Rinova, R. (2022). The Influence of Brand Image, Promotion, Price, and Quality of Service on Sahid Polytechnic Lecture Decisions. PINISI Discretion Review, 5(2), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.26858/pdr.v5i2.31858

Kalnins, A., & Hill, K. P. (2024). Additional caution regarding rules of thumb for variance inflation factors: extending O’Brien to the context of specification error. Quality & Quantity, 59, 291–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-024-01980-0

Kuntari, & Sumardi. (2019). Keputusan Mahasiswa Dalam Memilih Perguruan Tinggi Ditinjau Dari Analisis Bauran Pemasaran Dan Perilaku Konsumen. Jurnal Pengembangan Wiraswasta, 21(1).

Lakens, D. (2022). Sample Size Justification Collabra : Psychology. Collabra: Psychology, 8(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.33267

Meyer, M. S., Cranmore, J., Rinn, A. N., & Hodges, J. (2021). College Choice: Considerations for Academically Advanced High School Seniors. Gifted Child Quarterly, 65(1), 52–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986220957258

Mistretta, M. (2013). Making Choices: The Infuence of The Pittsburgh Promise on The College-Going Decisions of Pittsburgh Public and Charter. In University of Pittsburgh.

Montgomery, D. C., Peck, E. A., & Vining, G. G. (2021). Introduction to Linear Regression Analysis. Wiley. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=tCIgEAAAQBAJ

Najımudınova, S., Ismailova, R., & Oskonbaeva, Z. (2022). What Defines the University Choice? The Case of Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan TT - Üniversite Tercihinin Belirleyenleri Nelerdir? Kırgızistan Yükseköğretim Örneği. Sosyoekonomi, 30(54), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.17233/sosyoekonomi.2022.04.03

Nuseir, M. T., & El Refae, G. A. (2022). Factors influencing the choice of studying at UAE universities: an empirical research on the adoption of educational marketing strategies. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 32(2), 215–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2020.1852467

Porter, D. C., & Gujarati, D. N. (2008). Basic Econometrics. McGraw-Hill Education. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=zJlDPgAACAAJ

Putri, R. A. (2024). Analysis of Factors Influencing Students’ Decisions in Choosing A Private College in Yogyakarta: University Decision. Indonesian Journal of Economics, Business, Accounting, and Management (IJEBAM), 2(5), 25–38. https://doi.org/10.63901/ijebam.v2i5.84

Qasim, A. M., Al-Askari, P. S. M., Massoud, H. K., & Ayoubi, R. M. (2021). Student university choice in Kurdistan-Iraq: what factors matter? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(1), 120–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1742298

Silalahi, F. T. R., Saputra, D. W., Panjaitan, G., Butar-Butar, M., & Manurung, N. M. (2023). Influencing Student Choice: A Case Study of a Boarding Private University in Indonesia BT - Proceedings of the International Conference of Economics, Business, and Entrepreneur (ICEBE 2022). 429–443. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-064-0_46

Sitanggang, F. A., Putri, D. E., & Sitanggang, P. A. (2021). Analisis Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Keputusan Mahasiswa dalam Memilih Program Studi Manajemen Jenjang Strata-1 pada Perguruan Tinggi Swasta dan Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di Kota Jambi. Ekonomis: Journal of Economics and Business, 5(1), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.33087/ekonomis.v5i1.300

Spence, M. (1973). Job Market Signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010