Lithuanian students’ choice of university: a consumer value approach

ABSTRACT

Increasing competition within the Lithuanian educational market has paved the way for an analysis of the complex choice processes enrollees undergo in selecting a higher education institution. This research examines the concept of consumer value and its interpretation in the Lithuanian higher education setting. Based on data collected from 445 students of 6 state universities, this study aims to assess the differential impacts of consumer value dimensions and to examine segment-based differences by conducting discriminant analysis. The results indicate that university choice is determined by vocational rather than economic or image-related preferences. However, increasing awareness of the financial aspect is an indication of more informed choices by enrollees to secure a place at university as well as the financial constraints that individual choices impose on the decision-maker. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the applicability of consumer value theory to the higher education sector and encourages a possible re-evaluation of marketing strategies that directly affect prospective enrollees.

KEYWORDS:

• Consumer value
• university choice
• discriminant analysis
• gender differences
• study-level differences
• Lithuania

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the administrative bodies of the respective universities for assistance in data collection. The author is also thankful to the reviewers for their valuable feedback in preparing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributor

Darija Bartkute is a lecturer of English Discourse Studies at the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences and holds a degree in English philology and language teaching and a degree in international marketing and management. Her research interests include discourse analysis, teacher training, and educational marketing.