Student university choice in Kurdistan-Iraq: what factors matter?

ABSTRACT

We aim to investigate the factors influencing student choice in the private higher education (HE) sector in Kurdistan-Iraq. Hence, this research attempts to add to the literature in terms of understanding student university choice, in general, and address the gap in the literature in the context of Middle Eastern studies including Kurdistan, in particular. We employed a survey research design using a self-developed questionnaire targeting first-year students in private universities in Kurdistan. Using a sample of 518 students and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we found that the university characteristics that most influenced student choice were reputation/accreditation, quality of teaching, employability and quality of facilities, a finding consistent with existing literature. However, cost of study was not seen to be highly influential in relation to student choice. Accordingly, the study recommends that universities consider increasing their tuition fees and dedicating the extra revenues to boosting their reputation, enhancing their quality of teaching and accreditation and increasing their connection to and relationships with local employers. Some other implications are also discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• University characteristics
• student choice
• private universities
• Kurdistan-Iraq

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Azad M. Qasim

Azad M. Qasim has an MSc in Marketing Management. He is a PhD candidate at Sulaimani University in Kurdistan-Iraq. He is currently working as a marketing executive and consultant. Email: [email protected]

Pirshing Salih Mohamad Al-Askari

Dr Pirshing Salih Mohamad Al-Askari has a PhD in Marketing Management. She is currently head of the Business Management Department at Sulaimani University in Kurdistan-Iraq. Email: [email protected]

Hiba K. Massoud

Dr Hiba K. Massoud has a PhD and an MA from the University of Nottingham. She works as a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff School of Management and has vast experience in teaching in a number of UK and international universities. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Email: [email protected]

Rami M. Ayoubi

Dr Rami M. Ayoubi has a PhD and an MA from the University of Nottingham. He is an Associate Professor at Coventry University, is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Educational Management and the Arab Economics and Business Journal, is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Email: [email protected]