Determinants for selecting higher education institutions in India: a fuzzy analytical hierarchical process approach

Purpose: This study investigates and unravels the factors upon which students base their choice of institutions for pursuing postgraduate education in management.
Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative analysis is used. In the first phase, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was undertaken to identify the factors students consider when selecting an educational institution. The fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) technique was used in the second phase to rank the identified factors.

Findings: The results indicate that placement prospects ranked first, followed by friends' references, inclusivity, hostel or dormitory facilities, ecosystem, peer group, college faculty, international outreach, cost of education, research facilities, accessibility, safety and security, and sports facilities.

Practical Implications: The study provides information and cues to university administration, and education managers as to the main factors on which they should configure their organization. In a world where branding and promotion drive consumption, the study will help the marketing and branding team in deciding the content and the target segment of the communication strategy.

Originality: The uniqueness of this study is in the employment of the FAHP technique to study and rank the factors based on which students make their choice of management Institutes.