Factors affecting choice of high-quality university program: a case study of students in Vietnam

Abstract

High-quality programs have become a trend at universities in Vietnam in recent years and attracted the interest of many students. However, research on this topic is still limited. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors influencing the students' choice of a high-quality program in Vietnam. Based on previous studies and case study models, the study proposes factors belonging to internal characteristics (characteristics of students and families) and external characteristics (influencers, university features, and communication). This study uses a combination of Exploratory Factor Analysis and Logistic model estimation methods to process data collected from 249 freshmen at Can Tho University in Can Tho city, Vietnam. The research results show that 3 factors belonging to the group of external influences have an impact on the choice of a high-quality program at Can Tho University. The attractiveness of the course and the chances of admission have a positive effect while Communication effort has a negative effect on the decision to choose a high-quality program. In order to attract more students to study high-quality programs, universities need to apply some solutions such as upgrading training programs to increase the attractiveness of study programs, promoting communication for high-quality programs, increasing enrollment quotas in high-quality programs, and diversifying enrollment methods.