ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8862-8770

Date Awarded

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

James P. Barber

Committee Member

Jeffrey Papa

Committee Member

Megan Tschannen-Moran

Abstract

As it becomes more difficult to predict enrollment outcomes and the decline in high school graduates’ looms on the horizon, the ability of higher education leaders to understand what characteristics of the university brand are most compelling for prospective students is important to ensure enrollment objectives are met. This mixed-methods exploratory case study explored the college choice process of 1st-year students at a faith-based university in the United States using the Consumer Decision Framework (Stephenson et al., 2016). Through the use of a focus group, online survey, and semi-structured interviews, this study sought to answer questions about the brand characteristics of the schools in the consideration set, the brand characteristics that were most compelling to students, and the evaluation of the case university compared to the other institutions in the choice set. The study revealed that over 75% of respondents had consideration sets ranging from one to five schools, there was considerable diversity in the types of institutions included in the consideration sets, and family connections and word of mouth were identified as the most influential factors in moving from the awareness set to the consideration set. Seven important brand characteristics emerged, which included the faith-based community, affordability, close-knit community in a major city, high quality of chosen major, proximity to home, reputation for producing successful graduates, and optimal campus size. When students evaluated the case university against their choice set, they noted that it had a more authentic faith-based community, a more welcoming community, a more personalized process, a more favorable location, and it was more affordable.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.25774/w4-mrch-kr52

Rights

© The Author

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