An exploratory study of the factors influencing undergraduate student choice: the case of higher education in Scotland

This article explores the factors influencing student choice at six contrasting universities in Scotland to establish if there is value in developing a model for predicting institutional choice for Scottish undergraduate entry. It is based on a survey of 651 students in two undergraduate disciplines, accountancy and engineering, across the six universities. The findings indicate that the choice decision is complex and multi-factorial. Whilst there was variation across universities, disciplines and genders, the evidence illustrates consistency in respect of the top three factors: academic reputation, distance from home and location. Suggestions for change are formulated on the basis of the main findings.