STUDENTS’ UNIVERSITY CHOICE REASONS: THE CASE OF AKENTEN APPIAH- MENKA UNIVERSITY OF SKILLS TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT, MAMPONG CAMPUS (AAMUSTED-M)

Author: Rosemary Adu Poku

ABSTRACT

University choice reasons provide an insight into what drives undergraduate applicants in the selection of universities. This necessitates looking into motivations that drive prospective applicants in their choice of AAMUSTED-M. The purpose of the study was to identify key factors that influenced decisions of undergraduate applicants of 2023/2024 Academic Year in the selection of Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Asante Mampong Campus (AAMUSTED-M). In this study, university choice motivations are categorised into four areas namely; institutional, economic, social and personal. and results showed that 2023/2024 undergraduate students of AAMUSTED-M, generally, based their choice of the University on more institutional reasons than others as the criteria making the greatest impact as asserted by Agrey and Lampadan (2014).

There were 1,751 respondents who participated in the qualitative study. In-depth self-developed structured questionnaire was employed for data collection, analysis, and discussion of findings. The results showed that, there was a significant relationship between students’ personal goals, personal development, quality and supportive staff, accreditation and recognition of programme, image and reputation of institution, security, job prospects, location, influence of family and friends, available programmes, popularity of a programme, programmes that bring students into high social status, and publicity/advertising of programmes. The rest of the motivations which included alumni influence, parent/guardian income, cost of living in Mampong, transportation cost from home to the campus had a slight impact on participants’ selection of AAMUSTED-M.

The focus of the study was to identify reasons of  freshmen and freshwomen of 2023/2024 Academic Year for choosing AAMUSTED-M, thus, the findings offer a better understanding of the importance of each dimension that influences university choice decisions, and to encourage university authorities, Campus Academic Directorate, Vice-Dean, Office, and the Student Representative Council to either improve or revise their strategies in providing better services to students, and focusing on the key motivations that could significantly affect selection of AAMUSTED-M by prospective students

Keywords: Study motivations, Institution Choice Reasons, Society Related Factors, Economic Related Factors, Personal Related Factors

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