Understanding Student Choice Criteria for Selecting an Indonesian Public University: A Conjoint Analysis Approach

This research aims to estimate the relative importance the students attach to the factors that influence them to select an Indonesian public university and determine whether there are groups of students for whom different factors were more important. The data was examined using conjoint analysis approach, a widely accepted method for evaluating multiattribute alternatives in marketing. Findings indicate that high school leavers in developing markets, view advice from family, friends, and/or teachers, reputation, and job prospect as the most important factors for selecting a public university. However, two different preference-based segments of prospective students were identified from cluster analysis, and classified into students’ ‘social networks-based decision’ and ‘rational decision’ segments. Choice simulator was employed with three propositions and the segments were found to have dissimilar preferences. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications and limitations of the method as well as direction for the future research.