Kajian Malaysia (Jan 2010)
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DECISION OF STUDENTS TO STUDY AT UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
Abstract
The higher education sector in Malaysia includes public and private tertiary institutions. Malaysian institutions of higher learning are facing a host of challenges, including a high degree of competition among institutions due to the emergence of new colleges and universities, reduced funding from the government, and the need to upgrade education services continuously to meet the demands of the market. The challenges are even greater for Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), an institution that the Ministry of Higher Education chose to transform within the next five years to become the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (APEX) university in Malaysia and a world-class institution. In order for USM to rise to the level of an APEX university and attract the best students, it is important to understand how students select colleges or universities. This study examines: (i) the reasons students pursue higher education; (ii) the sources of information used by students to help choose a tertiary institution; (iii) the factors that influence students' choices of public versus private institutions; and (iv) the factors that influence students' decisions to study at USM. The results of this study indicate that the main reasons that students pursue higher education are to improve their job prospects and to gain knowledge and experience. This study shows that students choose tertiary institutions based on information gathered from various sources, of which, the Internet is the most popular. A student's preference for a public institution is influenced primarily by considerations of quality of education and pecuniary factors. Finally, the decision to study at USM is attributed to USM's strong business links, good reputation, adequate facilities, and availability of programmes and courses that suit the students' needs.
