IMPACT OF BRAND AWARENESS ON ENROLLMENT DECISION PROCESS MODERATED BY STUDENTS GENDER FOR HEI

Abstract

The increasing competition in higher education institutions has made brand awareness an integral part of their marketing activity, to increase student enrollment rate. The study investigates the factors of brand awareness and its relationship with each stage of a student’s enrolment decision process, keeping student’s gender as moderator. Primary and secondary sources were used to do the research. A structured questionnaire was framed and data was collected from 1000 students from management colleges and schools. Factor analysis, Structural equation modeling and moderation analysis is used in the study. The finding reveals that there is a relationship between brand awareness and students decision-making process. Even when student’s gender is acting as a moderator, the impact of factors of brand awareness can be seen on each stage of decision-making process. All five hypotheses were accepted. Factors of brand awareness were identified. These factors showed a significant impact on students’ enrolment decision process, even when moderated by students’ gender. The article contributes in understanding the role of brand awareness in each stages of enrollment student’s decision making for higher education institutions. These institutions should focus more on brand awareness programs as it may result in the increase of student’s enrollment number for higher education institution.