The Impact of Factors to Choose an Online Higher Education Institution

Abstract

The prospect of choosing an online institution to attend can be a daunting task for students and institutions alike. In this quantitative study, 120 first year, online students from two universities in Canada were sampled to determine the most important factors linked to choice, as well as the information sources most commonly used. Core results of the study indicated that flexibility, convenience, and the program are the most important factors students look for when choosing an online institution, and that the university website is the main information outlet utilized for research. Results also indicated that finding sufficient information is often difficult, and that institutions should put more resources into marketing and advertising. These results may prove beneficial to institutions looking to tailor their marketing initiatives, and in due course, will hopefully benefit students by simplifying the research process, and ensuring that institutions focus on the factors they find most important.