AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

This thesis examines the factors that prospective students consider when evaluating universities and the information sources they consult in the selection process. Using data collected from a survey sent to 9,332 BI Norwegian Business School applicants which yielded a 31.7 percent response rate, a quantitative analysis was performed. The results were filtered to compare the responses from Norwegian applicants with the responses from international applicants. The findings reveal similarities between the two cohorts for the two most important factors in evaluating a university: job prospects after completing and funding opportunities. When asked to indicate the first information source consulted during the selection process, both groups listed university websites and friends in the number one and two positions. In terms of usefulness, university websites received the highest rating for both groups as well. One notable difference for the two cohorts relates to university rankings. While Norwegian applicants placed university rankings near the bottom of the list of information sources consulted, international students placed it in the number three position, and then again in the third position in terms of usefulness as an information source. In this thesis student college choice models are also examined as a framework for analysis, and recommendations from the findings are presented in conclusion.