Factors Affecting University and Course Choice: A Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering and Business Students in Central Punjab, Pakistan

The higher education environment in Pakistan has become very aggressive and universities have to struggle for recruiting highly intellectual students. The students have become consumerists due to increasing fees of higher education institutes. The primary focus of this study was to uncover the factors that students deem vital related to their choice of university and desired courses. Undergraduate engineering and business students (N=226) from five universities in three cities of central Punjab i.e. Lahore, Faisalabad and Sahiwal, participated in the study. The study used stratified random sampling technique and implied structured questionnaire based on 10 point Likert scale. The study used simple descriptive statistics to verify the importance given by students to these factors. Findings of study revealed that higher education commission ranking, institutional reputation, employment, and career prospects have been found most important allied to desired university and course. As a result of this career focus approach, the students consider prominence, price and programme factors most important among other Ivy’s 7 Ps (2007) of universities’ marketing mix. The study highlighted the dynamics of undergraduate students’ market and commented on implications of marketing of universities thinking to reposition themselves in intense educational markets.