Identifying College Choice Factors to Successfully Market Your Institution.

Abstract Colleges and universities compete with each other for resources, prestige, and students. From a marketing perspective, an institution needs to (1) establish its image or market position, (2) identify the competition, (3) determine the needs of various market segments, and (4) develop a marketing plan for promoting its educational services (Paulsen 1990). This research draws upon this marketing framework to study the factors that influence student college choice. The following discussion will proceed first with a literature review on market analyses, market segmentation, and the identification of choice factors important to students. This will be followed by the methods and findings on one institution's image and market position, its competition, and market segments. The analysis concludes with a discussion of the results and how the information is relevant to practitioners. This research contributes to the college choice literature by identifying several factors that are important to consider in college choice surveys and, therefore, expands upon the work of Paulsen (1990). Market Analysis Clark and Hossler (1990) explain how institutions position themselves in the educational marketplace. For example, a college can position itself "as an elite college. , a low-cost pathway to upward mobility. , [or] church-related school" (Clark and Hossler 1990, p. 78). According to Kotler (1982) an institution markets itself by "designing the organization's offerings in terms of the target markets' needs and desires, and. using effective pricing, communication, and distribution to inform, motivate, and service the markets" (p. 6). Colleges and universities use various means to market their services. Although the junior year is typically when students "become familiar with the characteristics of different colleges and universities," students may begin receiving information in their sophomore year of high school (Bradshaw, Espinoza, and Hausman 2001; Chapman 1981, p. 63). Institutions may use the American College Testing Program Student Profile (ACT Profile) information to contact high school students as well as parents when the student lists the institution on his or her choice set. Staff may participate in college visit days with students at local high schools, or contact high school counselors or employers in the area. In addition, the college Web site has become one of the most helpful or influential sources of information (Seymour 2000); student visits to campus have been shown to be an influential factor in student college choice (Jonas and Popovics 1990; Kellaris and Kellaris 1988); and receipt of the semester course schedule in the mail has proven to be highly effective (Lucas 1984). Colleges and universities also inform students via college guides, brochures, and college catalogues sent in the mail (Johnson, Stewart, and Eberly 1991; Jonas and Popovics 1990; Stoyanoff 1980). Other possibilities involve activities or events on campus, literature at work or in the high schools, advertisements in the newspaper, on radio and television, student telemarketing, scholarship interviews, early registration programs, and use of alumni networks (Abrahamson and Hossler 1990; Lucas 1984). The institution may also contact students who applied but failed to enroll at the institution, using data from admission applications. To effectively publicize services, an institution must first understand its student markets. An understanding of student markets often involves survey research. Institutions may develop their own in-house survey or use one of the standardized instruments available such as the Admitted Student Questionnaire (ASQ) or Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshmen Survey (CIRP). The Admitted Student Questionnaire Plus (ASQ Plus) also allows institutions to obtain student ratings on competing institutions. The ACT Profile and the College Board's Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ) include information on college choice; however, the number of questions regarding institutional characteristics is more limited as compared with the ASQ or CIRP. …