Factors influencing higher education institution choice

Abstract

This chapter presents an examination of factors influencing a student’s choice of higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland. It begins with an extensive review of the international literature relating to the wide range of factors influencing which HEI a student chooses to attend. It then examines the importance and correlates of peer, sibling and parental influences on this decision, as well as the factors associated with the decision to live at home while in higher education. It also considers findings from a discrete choice experiment examining student preferences for HEIs, which indicate that course reputation is the attribute most valued by students, followed by the availability of work placement opportunities. With regard to type of HEI, students in general have a preference for universities over institutes of technology.