Factors Associated with Undergraduate Students’ Selection of a Public University in Ghana

Abstract

The selection of a university by undergraduate students is complex because students’ professional paths are influenced by the university and academic programme they pursue. There are many factors people consider before deciding which tertiary education institution to enrol in. This article sought to unravel these factors among new entrants who chose the University for Development Studies (UDS) during the 2025/2026 academic year. The data for the study were obtained through the roll-out of an electronic questionnaire, which was open for four weeks, during which 1,230 of 9,676 enrolled undergraduate students responded to the questionnaire across the three campuses of UDS. The data from the electronic questionnaire were downloaded and cleaned, resulting in 1,208 usable responses for data analysis. The data were analysed quantitatively using SPSS version 16, which generated frequencies and descriptive statistics to ascertain which factors were most significant. It emerged that the top five factors, in descending order, that influenced the students’ selection of UDS were academic quality, programmes offered, reputation, learning environment, and employment prospects, with mean scores of 4.10, 4.05, 3.6, 3.33, and 3.23, respectively. Other equally important factors were international collaborations and fees, which yielded mean values of 3.22 and 3.15, respectively. Seven additional factors were found to be less important in the selection of UDS by the new entrants. Recommendations for attracting new entrants include strengthening alumni networks, social media advertising, and scholarship opportunities. The paper contributes to the literature on students’ choice of higher education in Ghana.