Information Sources and Factors Influencing Enrolment in ICT and STEM University Study Programmes

Abstract

In a demanding and increasingly competitive higher education marketplace, the awareness of the reasons why prospective students choose a certain study programme and information sources they use during their decision-making process is essential to develop institutional positioning, thus requiring deeper understanding. This paper aims to explore students’ decision-making processes, focusing on the information sources and factors influencing their decisions. The results contribute to the understanding of factors influencing students’ decision-making and provide the evidence about the factors and information sources influencing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students’ choice, which can serve as implications for higher education policy makers and companies operating in these fields.

Keywords

• factors affecting students’ choice
• consumer behaviour
• higher education
• educational economics
• information sources
• institutional positioning
• services marketing