Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Infl uencing College Choice
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2012 National Research Report Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College Choice An analysis of traditional-aged students What matters to students when deciding where to enroll? There are a variety of factors that influence a student’s decision to enroll. Factors such as cost and the availability of financial aid are universally important at all types of institutions. However, other factors can vary widely by institution type, demographics, class level, and whether the student enrolled at his or her top choice. Every year, hundreds of campuses administer the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory™ (SSI) to their students. In addition to more than 70 items rated for importance and satisfaction on the general student experience, the SSI includes nine items that address factors in a student’s decision to enroll. During the fall of 2011, more than 55,000 students from more than 100 public and private four- year and two-year institutions completed the SSI. These students rated the factors to enroll items on a scale of one (meaning not important at all) to seven (very important). This report details the responses from the nationwide pool of data. In particular, this report has a special emphasis on the nearly 22,000 first-year students who responded in order to see which items scored higher with ratings of important or very important (a ranking of six or seven on the answer scale). Comparisons with upperclass students and between students at their first-choice institution versus those attending their second- or third-choice institution are also provided. In addition, the report highlights trend results in enrollment factors as originally reported in our recent 15-year satisfaction trend reports.
About the study
The study is based on data gathered from students who completed the Student Satisfaction
This study
Inventory during the fall of 2011 at colleges and universities nationwide.
includes a
comparison Table 1: Participants
between
first-year Number of Total number of
Institution type
students and institutions student records
students who Four-year private colleges and
universities 63 25,070
have been
Four-year public colleges and
enrolled universities
9 11,277
two years Community, junior, and technical
or more colleges
14 11,859
(upperclass Two-year career and private
32 7,607
students). schools
Total 118 55,813
TM
The full list of contributing institutions can be found in the appendix.
These schools provide a cross section of the student experience. The focus of the data is from the
fall semester because that is when enrollment factors are likely to be most current in the minds of
students, especially first-year students.
This year’s study provides comparisons between first-year students and students who have been
enrolled two years or more (upperclass students). There is also a comparison between two groups
of first-year students: those who perceive themselves to be at their first-choice institution and those
who identify the institution as their second or third choice.
This report focuses on traditional college students. A separate study is available on the factors to
enroll for students in adult learner undergraduate or graduate programs and students enrolled in
online learning programs.
2 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College Choice
Demographic mix of respondents
Class level for all students Institutional choice
at all institutions (first-year students only)
36%
42%
58%
64%
TM TM
First-year students First-year, first-choice students
Upperclass students First-year, second- and third-choice students
Specific information regarding the demographic distribution by institution type is included in the appendix.
What factors are considered?
The following list describes each available factor that students rate on the Student Satisfaction
Inventory.
• Cost: Addresses how important tuition was in the student’s decision to enroll.
• Financial aid: Takes into consideration the financial aid package that was offered to the student.
• Academic reputation: Reflects what the student thinks he or she knows about the academic quality
of the institution.
• Size of the institution: Indicates how important the size of the institution, either large or small, was
to the student.
• Recommendations from family and friends: Reflects the importance of comments and
encouragements from family members.
• Geographic setting: Addresses campus location as a factor because of distance from home as well as
the setting of the school (urban, rural, etc.).
• Campus appearance: Considers how the campus looks to the student and may also reflect
perceptions of campus maintenance.
• Personalized attention prior to enrollment: Indicates the student’s perception of how he or she was
treated through the admissions process.
These factors may also have influence for specific institutions:
• Opportunity to play sports: For four-year and community college campuses, examines how critical
the opportunity to compete athletically was to the student.
• Employment opportunities: Reveals a factor unique to the career and private school version of the
Student Satisfaction Inventory and indicates the student’s perceptions regarding career options with
a degree from the institution.
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 3Factors to enroll: First-year students
90% Four-year private
86%
83% 84% 84%
82%
first-year students
80% 79%
81% 81% 80%
78%
79%
Four-year public
75% 75%
71% 72% first-year students
70% 70%
68% 68%
64%
Community college
63% 62% 63%
63% 61% first-year students
60% 58% 59%
56%
54% Career school
50% 50% 49%50%
first-year students
45%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0% TM
Cost Financial Academic Size of Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
Cost, aid reputation institution from family setting appearance attention prior
financial to enrollment
aid, and
academic This chart lists the eight enrollment factors that are consistent on the Student Satisfaction Inventory across
reputation all four institution types. The percentage reflects students indicating that the item is important or very important.
were the
top factors What is most important to first-year students?
across all
Cost, financial aid, and academic reputation were the top enrollment factors across all institution types.
institution
These three variables appear to play a critical role in influencing students’ enrollment decisions. The
types. other factors included in the list of choices were all more important to students at career schools
than they were to students at four-year private and public colleges or community colleges, especially
personalized attention prior to enrollment. It should be noted that employment opportunities, which
is a unique item on the career-school survey and is not included in the chart above, was the top
enrollment factor for these institutions, with 89 percent of students indicating it was important or very
important to their decision.
Certainly the cost of attending a college—regardless of the type of institution attended—played a role
in enrollment decisions. With students attending public four-year and two-year campuses, cost was the
dominant factor. At four-year private colleges, it ranked third behind academic reputation. At two-year
career schools, cost—while still important with an 81 percent score—was fifth behind employment
opportunities, financial aid, academic reputation, and personalized attention.
Financial aid joined cost at the top of the enrollment factors and was the top issue for students at
four-year private campuses. At two-year private institutions, financial aid was a close second behind
employment opportunities, with nearly 86 percent saying it was important. Clearly, economic issues—
how much will their educations cost, how will they pay for it—weigh heavily on the minds of students.
Even the top enrollment factor from students at career schools, future career opportunities, indicates a
strong economic concern.
Academic reputation was also a strong factor, ranking as one of the top three enrollment factors across
all institution types, with at least 70 percent of students indicating it was important or very important.
4 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College ChoiceFactors to enroll: Comparison of first-year students and upperclass students
While enrollment factors may be top of mind to first-year students, it is also interesting to observe the
perceptions of upperclass students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors at four-year institutions and second-
and third-year students at two-year institutions). It should be noted that upperclass responses could reflect
either students’ original decision to enroll or their current decision to continue their enrollment into the
coming year—the survey does not specifically ask if they are ranking their original enrollment factors. Either
way, the responses provide an indication of the relative importance of these factors to upperclass students.
Four-year private institutions: First-year students vs. upperclass students
83.9%
80% 83.8% 79.1%
Four-year private
78.5% first-year students
76.2% 77.8%
70% 68.1% Four-year private
upperclass
62.9% 62.4% 62.7%
60% students
56.4% 57.7%
53.9%
51.6%
50% 48.9%
48.7%
40%
33.7%
30% 29.0%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
At four-year privates, the factors of financial aid and family recommendation were relatively
unchanged as enrollment factors when comparing class levels. All of the factors were as or more
important to first-year students. Campus appearance had the biggest movement between first-year
and upperclass students with an 8.5 percentage point shift down in importance, followed by a 6.5
percentage point shift down in importance for institution size for upperclass students.
Four-year public institutions: First-year students vs. upperclass students
80% 80.5% 79.6% Four-year public
79.2% 77.5% 75.2% first-year students
74.9%
70% Four-year public
66.2%
64.2%
63.1% 63.4% upperclass
60.5% 61.3%
60% students
55.6% 56.3%
50% 49.7%
45.5%
40%
33.2%
30%
23.0%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
For students at four-year publics, the perception of academic reputation was unchanged based
on class level. Geographic setting actually became more important to upperclass students by 3.1
percentage points. The opportunity to play sports had the biggest drop in importance between first-
year students and upperclass students with a 10.2 percentage point shift down, followed by campus
appearance with a 7.8 percentage point decrease in importance to upperclass students.
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 5Community colleges: First-year students vs. second- and third-year students
83.0%
80% 83.0%
Community college
78.1% first-year students
76.3%
71.2%
70% 71.0%
Community college
second- and third-
60% 60.2% 59.1% year students
55.8% 57.5%
53.6%
50% 49.9% 53.6%
49.3% 45.3%
44.8%
40%
30%
23.7%
20% 22.1%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
With a potentially shorter span of time for first-year students at community colleges to students in
their second or possibly third year, there were fewer shifts in perceptions for factors in the decision to
enroll, with many items maintaining the same percentage. The one exception is geographic setting,
which was slightly more important by 4.4 percentage points for second- and third-year students as
compared with first-year students.
Career and private schools: First-year students vs. second- and third-year students
90% 89.2% Career school
85.7%
83.5%
86.1% first-year students
81.0% 83.5% 81.7%
80% 80.7%
77.7% Career school
76.5%
72.0%
74.6% second- and third-
70% 69.6% 68.0% 69.8%
71.5%
year students
66.8%
63.7%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Future Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution employment from setting appearance attention prior
opportunities family to enrollement
First-year students at two-year career and private schools indicated slightly higher importance
scores on all items, with the recommendations from family and friends as well as personalized
attention prior to enrollment reflecting the greatest difference by 4 percentage points compared
with second- and third-year students. Again, the percentages stayed relatively consistent across the
class level designations.
6 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College ChoiceFactors to enroll: Comparison for first-year students at their first-
choice institution vs. second and third choice
Students who perceived themselves to be at their first-choice institutions were typically more satisfied
with their overall experience than students who perceived themselves to be at their second- or third-
choice institution. While we don’t know why an institution was a first or second choice for a student,
we can see which factors may have influenced enrollment when we slice the data for just first-year
students with the additional indicator of institutional choice.
Four-year private institutions: First-year students, first choice vs.
first-year students, second and third choice
84.1%
80.6% 83.7% 81.4% Four-year private
80% 77.4% first-year, first-
74.5%
70.1%
choice students
70%
64.4% 64.3% Four-year private
62.5% first-year, second-
60.1%
60% 57.9% 62.2%
57.5% and third-choice
50.5% students
50%
45.6%
40% 39.4%
30% 30.6%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
Interestingly, the perception of financial aid as a factor in the decision to enroll was basically the same for
students at their first choice and those at their second or third choice. The opportunity to play sports was 8.8
percentage points more important to students at their second- or third-choice school, followed by cost with a
higher importance of 3.2 percentage points. Academic reputation was 6.9 percentage points more important to
students at their first-choice institution followed by the personalized attention prior to enrollment, which was
more important by 5.8 percentage points.
Four-year public institutions: First-year students, first choice vs.
first-year students, second and third choice
83.8% 83.8%
80% Four-year public
78.3% 76.8% 75.5% first-year, first-
70%
73.7% choice students
65.5% 67.5%
65.4% Four-year public
61.8% 61.4% first-year, second-
60% 60.3%
61.1%
56.2% and third-choice
50% 51.1% students
47.6%
40% 38.7%
30% 29.6%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
For students at four-year public institutions, the perceptions of academic reputation and personalized
attention prior to enrollment were the same across institutional choice, but geographic setting was
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 7more important to students at their first choice by 11.3 percentage points, with campus appearance
having the next biggest difference of 5.1 percentage points. For students at their second or third
choice, the opportunity to play sports was more important by 9.1 percentage points, financial aid more
important by 7 percentage points, and the perception of cost more important by 5.5 percentage points.
Community colleges: First-year students, first choice vs.
first-year students, second and third choice
83.0%
80% 82.9% 79.4% Community College
75.7% 73.7% first-year, first-
70% choice students
66.3%
Community College
61.0%
60% 58.5% first-year, second-
55.0% 55.3% and third-choice
51.3%
50% 48.4%
50.7% 50.8% students
47.0%
40% 39.2%
30%
27.1%
21.9%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Opportunity Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution to play from setting appearance attention prior
sports family to enrollement
First-choice students at community colleges placed a higher importance on the recommendations
from their family and friends by 9.2 percentage points, followed by geographic setting (7.8 percentage
points) and academic reputation (7.4 percentage points). The one area that was more important to
students at their second or third choice is the opportunity to play sports by 5.2 percentage points.
Career and private schools: First-year students, first choice vs.
first-year students, second and third choice
90% 90.6% Career school
87.3% 87.1%
83.1%
85.7%
83.5% first-year, first-
82.5%
80% 78.5% 79.9% 78.7%
choice students
76.7%
71.7%
74.4% Career school
70% 70.2% 71.1%
67.7% first-year, second-
65.8% and third-choice
64.3%
60% students
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
TM
0%
Cost Financial Academic Size of Future Recommend Geographic Campus Personalized
aid reputation institution employment from setting appearance attention prior
opportunities family to enrollement
At career and private schools, first-choice students all had higher importance scores than students
who indicated that they were at their second- or third-choice institution. Geographic setting had the
highest importance difference between the two groups with 6.7 percentage points.
8 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College ChoiceFifteen-year trends on enrollment factors
In 2011, Noel-Levitz published a series of reports focusing on the importance and satisfaction trends
on institutions over the past 15 years. These reports included a review on the shifts in enrollment factor
perceptions over the course of that period. The relevant findings include:
Four-year private institutions: Students in 2009-2010 indicated much higher importance scores on cost
(6.8 percentage points), campus appearance (5.6 percentage points), and financial aid (5.1 percentage
points) than students in 1994-1995.
Four-year public institutions: All factors increased in importance between 1994-1995 and 2009-2010,
with the biggest jumps coming for financial aid (15.1 percentage points), personalized attention prior to
enrollment (10.9 percentage points), and recommendations from family and friends (10.3 percentage
points).
Community colleges: All of the factors increased in importance for students between 1994-1995 and 2009-
2010, with financial aid reflecting the largest jump at 8.7 percentage points, followed by the opportunity to
play sports (8.1 percentage points) and recommendations from family and friends (7.8 percentage points).
Career and private schools: Several factors had double-digit increases in importance between 1996-1997
and 2010-2011: Recommendations from family and friends (16.0 percentage points), school appearance
(15.7 percentage points), geographic setting (13.5 percentage points), and size of institution (12.2
percentage points).
For more information on how the priorities of students have changed over time, please see the 15-year
reports, available at: www.noellevitz.com/benchmark15years
How these findings impact your work in student recruitment and retention
What do these results signify for campus professionals? The results suggest three priority action items:
1. Prospective and current students want to know how much their education will cost. Your Web site and
other campus communications should make this information accessible. If you are changing tuition,
communicate this clearly to current students, as well as why tuition is changing and how students will
benefit from the change. Be sure to make full use of federally mandated tuition calculators to provide
complete, current information to prospective and current students on your Web site.
2. Make financial aid information easy to obtain. This goes beyond the first year of enrollment—students
likely want to know how much financial assistance will be available during their entire campus careers.
Information on other financial resources, such as scholarships, is also important.
3. Use your academic reputation to express the value of your educational offerings. Students need to know
that an education from your institution is worth the investment. Making the strengths, features, benefits,
and outcomes of your academic offerings clear will go a long way toward helping prospective students
decide to enroll with you, as well as convincing current students to persist and graduate. Your faculty and
staff should also express your institution’s academic excellence in their interactions with students.
In addition, keep in mind that personalized attention prior to enrollment also plays an important role,
especially at private institutions. Delivering personalized attention at every point of contact—in the mail,
online, over the phone, and on campus—can make a big difference in persuading a student to enroll and
to persist. It’s also an area where your campus has a unique opportunity to differentiate itself from other
institutions.
Location, size and setting, while not unimportant, do not rank nearly as high as these other factors. Tell
students what it will cost, what financial assistance will be available, and the value of your educational
offerings, and you address these top three elements that impact enrollment decisions.
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 9Appendix I: List of institutions Four-year private institutions Simpson University, CA Career and private schools Abilene Christian University, TX Southern Nazarene Anthem Career College- Azusa Pacific University, CA University, OK Memphis, TN Bethel College, IN Southern Virginia University, VA Anthem Career College- Bethel University, MN Southwestern Adventist Nashville, TN Bethune-Cookman University, FL University, TX Anthem College-Atlanta, GA Biola University, CA Spring Arbor University, MI Anthem College-Dallas, TX Bryan College, TN St. Edward’s University, TX Anthem College-Denver, CO California Baptist University, CA Tabor College, KS Anthem College-Fenton, MO Cedarville University, OH Taylor University, IN Anthem College- Coker College, SC Trinity Christian College, IL Kansas City, MO Concordia University Texas, TX University of Tampa, FL Anthem College-Maryland Corban University, OR Valley Forge Christian College, PA Heights, MO Cornerstone University, MI Warner University, FL Anthem College-Milwaukee, WI Covenant College, GA Waynesburg University, PA Anthem College-Minnesota, MN Cox College, MO Williams Baptist College, AR Anthem College-Orlando, FL Crown College, MN Anthem College-Phoenix, AZ Eastern University, PA Four-year public institutions Anthem College-Portland, OR Evangel University, MO Dakota State University, SD Anthem College- Fresno Pacific University, CA Mississippi State University, MS Sacramento, CA Geneva College, PA Montana Tech - North, MT Anthem Institute- Gordon College, MA Salem State University, MA Cherry Hill, NJ Goshen College, IN South Carolina State Anthem Institute- Grace College and Seminary, IN University, SC Jersey City, NJ Graceland University, IA South Dakota State University, SD Anthem Institute-Las Vegas, NV Greenville College, IL University of Michigan- Anthem Institute- Hope International University, CA Dearborn, MI Manhattan, NJ Houston Baptist University, TX University of Minnesota Anthem Institute- Huntington University, IN Duluth, MN North Brunswick, NJ Indiana Wesleyan University, IN University of Nebraska, NE Anthem Institute- John Brown University, AR Parsippany, NJ LeTourneau University, TX Anthem Institute-Springfield, PA Lincoln College, IL Community colleges The Bryman School of Lipscomb University, TN Augusta Technical College, GA Arizona, AZ Manhattan Christian College, KS Bucks County Community City College of Altamonte, FL McPherson College, KS College, PA City College of Mid-America Christian Coffeyville Community Ft. Lauderdale, FL University, OK College, KS City College of Gainesville, FL Milligan College, TN Cypress College, CA City College of Hollywood, CA Milwaukee Institute of Art & Eastern Idaho Tech College, ID City College of Miami, FL Design, WI Fox Valley Technical College, WI Laurel Business Institute, PA Mississippi College, MS Heartland Community College, IL Morrison University, NV Montreat College, NC Highland Community College, IL Pima Medical Institute- Northwest Christian University, OR Kilian Community College, SD Mesa, AZ Northwest Nazarene University, ID Lanier Technical College, GA Salter College, MA Northwest University, WA Montana Tech - South, MT Taylor Business Institute, IL Northwestern College, MN Piedmont Technical College, SC Ohio Dominican University, OH Spokane Falls Community Pacific Northwest College of College, WA Art, OR Tri-County Technical College, SC Palm Beach Atlantic University, FL Rockhurst University, MO Siena College, NY Note: This list reflects only the institutions which administered the Student Satisfaction Inventory between September 1 and December 31, 2011. 10 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College Choice
Appendix II: Demographics
Table 2: Class level by institution type
First-year Upperclass
Institution type
student counts student counts
Four-year private colleges and
universities 8,023 16,145
Four-year public colleges and
universities
2,709 7,608
Community, junior, and technical
colleges
5,600 5,147
Two-year career and private
schools
5,519 1,784
Total 21,851 30,684
TM
Table 3: Institutional choice by institutional type (first-year students only)
First-year, first-choice First-year, second- and third-
Institution type
student counts choice student counts
Four-year private colleges and
universities 5,166 2,798
Four-year public colleges and
universities
1,652 1,045
Community, junior, and technical
colleges
3,588 1,947
Two-year career and private
schools
3,495 1,970
Total 13,901 7,760
TM
Note: Overall student counts reflect all students in the data set, but not all students indicated a class level or
an institutional choice.
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 11Appendix III: Complete tables for each data set
Table 4: Comparison across institution type for first-year students only
Four-year Four-year Community Career
private public college school
Enrollment factors
first-year first-year first-year first-year
students students students students
Cost 78.5% 80.5% 83.0% 81.0%
Financial aid 83.9% 79.6% 78.1% 85.7%
Academic reputation 79.1% 74.9% 71.2% 83.5%
Size of institution 62.9% 64.2% 49.9% 69.6%
Recommendations from family 48.9% 49.7% 45.3% 68.0%
Geographic setting 57.7% 63.1% 55.8% 72.0%
Campus appearance 62.4% 63.4% 53.6% 74.6%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 68.1% 61.3% 59.1% 81.7%
TM
Table 5: Four-year private institutions: First-year students vs. upperclass students
Enrollment factors First-year students Upperclass students
Cost 78.5% 76.2%
Financial aid 83.9% 83.8%
Academic reputation 79.1% 77.8%
Size of institution 62.9% 56.4%
Opportunity to play sports 33.7% 29.0%
Recommendations from family 48.9% 48.7%
Geographic setting 57.7% 51.6%
Campus appearance 62.4% 53.9%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 68.1% 62.7%
TM
Table 6: Four-year public Institutions: First-year students vs. upperclass students
Enrollment factors First-year students Upperclass students
Cost 80.5% 79.2%
Financial aid 79.6% 77.5%
Academic reputation 74.9% 75.2%
Size of institution 64.2% 60.5%
Opportunity to play sports 33.2% 23.0%
Recommendations from family 49.7% 45.5%
Geographic setting 63.1% 66.2%
Campus appearance 63.4% 55.6%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 61.3% 56.3%
TM
12 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College ChoiceTable 7: Community colleges: First-year students vs. second- and third-year students
First-year Second- and third-year
Enrollment factors
students students
Cost 83.0% 83.0%
Financial aid 78.1% 76.3%
Academic reputation 71.2% 71.0%
Size of institution 49.9% 49.3%
Opportunity to play sports 23.7% 22.1%
Recommendations from family 45.3% 44.8%
Geographic setting 55.8% 60.2%
Campus appearance 53.6% 53.6%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 59.1% 57.5%
TM
Table 8: Career and private schools: First-year students vs. second- and third-year students
First-year Second- and third-year
Enrollment factors
students students
Cost 81.0% 76.5%
Financial aid 85.7% 83.5%
Academic reputation 83.5% 80.7%
Size of institution 69.6% 66.8%
Future employment opportunities 89.2% 86.1%
Recommendations from family 68.0% 63.7%
Geographic setting 72.0% 69.8%
Campus appearance 74.6% 71.5%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 81.7% 77.7%
TM
© 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 13Table 9: Four-year private institutions: First-year students, first-choice campus vs. first-year
students, second- and third-choice campus
First Second or third
Enrollment factors
choice choice
Cost 77.4% 80.6%
Financial aid 84.1% 83.7%
Academic reputation 81.4% 74.5%
Size of institution 64.4% 60.1%
Opportunity to play sports 30.6% 39.4%
Recommendations from family 50.5% 45.6%
Geographic setting 57.5% 57.9%
Campus appearance 62.5% 62.2%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 70.1% 64.3%
TM
Table 10: Four-year public institutions: First-year students, first-choice campus vs. first-year
students, second- and third-choice campus
First Second or third
Enrollment factors
choice choice
Cost 78.3% 83.8%
Financial aid 76.8% 83.8%
Academic reputation 75.5% 73.7%
Size of institution 65.5% 61.8%
Opportunity to play sports 29.6% 38.7%
Recommendations from family 51.1% 47.6%
Geographic setting 67.5% 56.2%
Campus appearance 65.4% 60.3%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 61.4% 61.1%
TM
14 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2012 National Research Report: Why Did They Enroll? The Factors Influencing College ChoiceTable 11: Community colleges: First-year students, first-choice campus vs. first-year students,
second- and third-choice campus
First Second or third
Enrollment factors
choice choice
Cost 83.0% 82.9%
Financial aid 79.4% 75.7%
Academic reputation 73.7% 66.3%
Size of institution 51.3% 47.0%
Opportunity to play sports 21.9% 27.1%
Recommendations from family 48.4% 39.2%
Geographic setting 58.5% 50.7%
Campus appearance 55.0% 50.8%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 61.0% 55.3%
TM
Table 12: Career and private schools: First-year students, first-choice campus vs. first-year students,
second- and third-choice campus
First Second or third
Enrollment factors
choice choice
Cost 82.5% 78.5%
Financial aid 87.3% 83.1%
Academic reputation 85.7% 79.9%
Size of institution 71.7% 65.8%
Future employment opportunities 90.6% 87.1%
Recommendations from family 70.2% 64.3%
Geographic setting 74.4% 67.7%
Campus appearance 76.7% 71.1%
Personalized attention prior to enrollment 83.5% 78.7%
TM
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How to cite this report
Noel-Levitz (2012). Why did they enroll? The factors influencing college choice.
Coralville, Iowa: Author. Retrieved from www.noellevitz.com/Factors2012.
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