Factors Affecting Students' Decision to Choose Regional Public Universities: An Empirical Study from Vietnam

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of several factors on students' decisions to attend a public institution in Vietnam's North Central area. The enrollment issue toward regional institutions is particularly critical in the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training reforming the university enrollment process and the complicated scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 500 students were surveyed for research samples. Data is synthesized, validated, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software using methods including reliability, EFA, CFA, and SEM. The findings suggest that the proposed independent components (individual factors, study fees, advertisement, infrastructure and facilities, local features, and lastly, training activities) have a beneficial impact on students' decision to attend a public university in the North Central region. The study also found that the graduation exam outcome had a moderating effect on the relationship between registration and students' decisions. These imply targeted solutions for regional public universities to diversify training majors, improve training quality, capitalize on local advantages, increase interaction, and promote training programs and image to be more effective in attracting students and maintaining competition in the current enrollment environment.