Abstract:

This paper examines the various influencing factors and how they affect the decision process of international students’ selection of colleges and universities in the United States. Evidence from a sample of 204 international students at a small private college suggests that academic related factors play a critical role in influencing the foreign students’ selection of an institution in United States. The results also indicate a consistency across student categories that qualifications being recognized in the student’s home country is also a critical decision factor. Variations do exist between Canadian students and other foreign students with respect to the relative importance of the various selection factors. Successfully interpreting the preferences revealed in this study has the potential to clarify strategies for promoting the institution in international markets with an overall intention of improving international student enrollment.
This paper concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of the survey results for U.S. based institutions to maintain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

Keywords:

International students, internationalization, higher education, marketing, recruitment.