A Model of Understanding Choice of University by International Students: A Two-Case Study

Students from all over the world who study in the United States contribute to the economy, participate in scientific and technical research, foster a diverse campus environment, enrich the learning environment with cultural perspectives, and help prepare domestic students for global careers, which often lead to long-term business relationships. However, in the United States, higher education institutions are facing ever-increasing challenges in enrolling international students. In the past three years, many universities faced difficulties in increasing or maintaining international student enrollment, forcing colleges and universities to search for the most effective ways to attract international students with limited resources. This is particularly true for those Master’s colleges and universities with limited marketing funding for international student enrollment. By conducting surveys and interviews at two universities, the study examined university administrators’ perceptions of university-related strategies of international student enrollment, the most influential factors in international student college choice based on student perceptions, and the degree to which student and administrator perceptions converge and diverge in relation to enrollment strategies and student college choice. This study is expected to provide a tool and knowledge for university policy makers and administrators to adjust appropriate recruiting strategies under limited budget in order to optimize resource outputs