Brand of European Higher Education Institution as a Key Factor for Foreign Students

Abstract

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of brands of European Higher Education Institutions as a key factor for foreign students. The globalization of education processes and the creation of a united European education area have increased foreign students' interest to study in Europe.Increasing unemployment, poverty, inconsistency in education, economic problems, political instability, low job opportunities, and unsafe environment are the undeniable reasons for young students to explore higher education opportunities in foreign countries. The main purpose of the research is to describe the factors affecting foreign students' choice ofEuropean Higher Education Institutions and provide information on the factors, which are of great importance. For achieving the aim, the previous research and scientific literature are studied, and a survey is conducted using a questionnaire. Investigation of the topic of brands of European Higher Education Institutions as a key factor for foreign students in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: the study of previous research and scientific literature and analysis of the survey results. Methodological tools of the research methods are the creation of a database of respondents, a survey on the factors impacting the choice of Higher Education Institutions in Europe by foreign students and analysis and interpretation of the survey results using nonparametric tests. The object of research is the field of Higher Education in Europe, and the subject of the research is consumer choice in Higher Education in Europe. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis on brands of European Higher Education Institutions as a key factor for foreign students. It showed that four groups of factors – regional, political financial, and educational – play a significant role in the choice of European Higher Education Institutions by foreign students. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that the most significant role in the choice of Higher Education Institutions in Europe for all level of students – Bachelor's, Masters and Doctors - play educational factors, the least significant role – political factors. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis H test show that there are statistically significant differences in the assessment of the role of factors in choosing the place of studies in Europe in different levels of study programs. The results of the research can be useful for decision-makers in Higher Education Institutions in Europe when working out different student attraction strategies, thus increasing the number of students and competitiveness. Keywords foreign students, globalization, Higher education, International Business Administration, students' choice.