An investigation of factors affecting students' choices of institution for master's program in Ho Chi Minh City
Abstract
Value of a Master’s Degree is highly recognized by both employer and employee, combing with the strong growth of higher educational trend, it creates a competitive market of institutions offering Master’s program. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct this research paper with the purpose to identify factors underlying students’ decisions on institution for Master’s program in Ho Chi Minh City and from the findings, there will be suggestions for Marketing Department to create more innovative strategies to recruit potential students. There were 303 valid responses received after over 1 month of data collecting. After Exploratory Factor Analysis, 8 initial factors were regrouped into 6 new components which are School Reputation and Employment Opportunities; School Location; Cost; Availability of Financial Aids, Educational Facilities and Influence from Outside. Realizing the impact of every single factor on students’ decisions when choosing school, there are recommendations for Marketing Department of any institution to create competitive advantages, appropriate propaganda and promotion to compete with other schools and attract potential candidates.