1. Students gather information about colleges from various sources like brochures, campus visits, college fairs, and letters from colleges. Family traditions and the internet are also important sources. 2. The most positively perceived sources of information are personal letters, phone calls, campus visits, and family/friends. Brochures and television are also seen as useful. 3. When choosing a college, students consider campus life, academic programs, financial factors, and career outcomes. Specifically, location, campus resources, social opportunities, and athletics programs are important campus factors. Academic factors include program offerings, quality, and faculty interaction. Financial factors incorporate scholarships, costs, and aid. Career outcomes like job placement and school

1. Factors Influencing
Student College Choice
RESULTS OF
ST AMBROSE UNIVERSITY
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS FOCUS GROUP
O C T O B E R 1 9 TH, 1 9 9 8

2. Background
 Focus group session October 18th 1998.
 Focus group consisted of seven high school seniors
randomly selected from different high schools in Iowa
state.
 Focus group conducted on St. Ambrose University
Campus.
 Object of study was to determine factors influencing
university selection in high school seniors.

3. Factors Influencing College Choice
Research Questions:
1. How do students gather information about universities
and colleges?
2. What are high school seniors’ perceptions of the different
sources of information?
3. What are students looking for in a
university when making choices?

4. How do students gather information about
universities and colleges?
Brochures
Family/Tradition
Internet
Letters
Videos
Phone calls
Replies to ACT scores
Campus Visits
College Fair
Sports
Television
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Number of Positive Responses Focus Group Members (n=8)

5. What are high school seniors’ perceptions of the
different sources of information?
85.7% 85.7%
Student Attitudes Towards
Information Sources 61.5%
36.4%
33.3%
22.2% 23.1%
Personal Phone Calls Television Mailings Internet / Brochures Family and
Letters Website Friends

6. What are students looking for in a university when
making choices?
4 Factors Affecting Decision Making :
Academic Choices Academic
Choices
26%
Financial
Campus Choices
12%
Campus
Choices
Financial 52%
Educational
Educational Benefit
Benefit
10%

7. CAMPUS Choices
Academic
Choices
26%
Financial
Choices
12%
30% Campus Choices
Campus
Choices 27%
52%
20%
Education
al Benefit
10% 13%
10%
Location or
Neighbourhood Campus
Resources and Social Life
Athletics
Infrastruture
Programs Housing / Dorms

8. ACADEMIC Choices
Academic
Choices
26%
Financial
Academic Choices
Choices
12%
33.33%
Campus
Choices
33.33%
52% 33.33%
Education
al Benefit
10%
Programs Offered
Quality of Programs
Degree of Faculty Contact

9. FINANCIAL Choices
42%
Academic
Choices Financial
26% Choices
12%
29% 29%
Campus
Choices
52%
Educational
Benefit
10%
Scholarships
Cost
Financial Aid

10. EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT
Academic
Choices
26%
Financial
Choices
12%
Campus 67% Educational Benefit
Choices
52%
Education
al Benefit
33%
10%
Job Placement
School Reputation

11. What are students looking for in a university when
making choices?

12. SUMMARY…
4 Major Factors Affecting University Choice:
1. Campus
a. Location or Neighbourhood
b. Campus Resources and Infrastructure
c. Social Life
d. Athletics Programs
e. Housing / Dorms 52%

13. SUMMARY…
2. Academic Choices / Programs
a. Programs Offered
b. Quality of Programs
c. Degree of Faculty Contact
“Personal attention, just so that if you’re struggling in
a class the teacher won’t blow you off and drop you
from the grading scale.”
26%

14. SUMMARY…
3. Financial Choices
a. Scholarships
b. Cost
c. Financial Aid
“Depends, on the cost of tuition…”
“type of scholarship…” 12%

15. SUMMARY.
4. Educational Benefit
a. Job Placement
b. School Reputation
“Placement. You want to go to a school that’s going to get
you a good job…”
“…so you might want to know the hiring percentage.”
10%

16. REVIEW: Coding
 Assignment 04 - Focus Group Article - Coding
 Time Consuming
 Highly subjective (found myself second-guessing)
 Multiple ways to interpret data
 Multiple ways to use data for different questions
 Did help to understand emerging themes and common
values amongst participants
 Able to collect useful information

17. REVIEW: Quantitative Data
 Useful for presenting “the bottom line” to clients.
 Can help to highlight general trends.
 May bring in some objectivity of interpretation, although
dependant on initial interpretation of statements.
 Small sample size made it difficult to make definite
conclusions (i.e. comments about email).
 How does one “quantitize” statements?
 Can easily go in multiple directions with data

18. REVIEW:
The
End