Vietnam National University Ho Chi Research Articles

Factors Attracting International Students to Vietnamese Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh Cityy

This article investigates factors influencing international students’ decisions to study in member institutions of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM). Employing qualitative data from interviews conducted with twenty international students from five Asian countries studying in four VNU-HCM’s member universities, the findings identify factors that attract the students to Vietnam and their host institutions. The data show that the students were “pulled” to Vietnam by various factors, among which access to scholarships and financial factors such as Vietnam’s bright economic prospects or job opportunities play crucial roles. Other than that, political and geographical proximity and fondness for Vietnamese language also have their say in international students’ destination choice of Vietnam. Regarding institutional pull factors, the reputation of the institutions in the students’ fields of demand is the most important, followed by influences from family, friends, and social media platforms. Against such findings, this article proposes several recommendations for VNU-HCM and its member institutions as well as other higher education institutions in Vietnam to attract more international students in the future.

Glass Ceiling Among Female Managers and Its Impact on Well-Being at Work

Despite governmental attempts in years to significantly encourage and support legislation aimed at gender diversities in the workplace, women have continued to be notably underrepresented in leadership roles. Women have typically held lower-level leadership positions than men, and there is little supporting evidence that women are appropriately executed in decision-making positions. Such a phenomenon is commonly called the 'glass ceiling', highlighting that achieving fair representation in management boards remains challenging for women. While the glass ceiling has become a popular research topic, only some theoretical models have tried to comprehend this social phenomenon and its implications for social change. Therefore, this study aims to provide a further understanding of the glass ceiling and its consequences. Drawing on the theory of conservation of resources, this study investigates sequencing relationships among glass ceiling, work-to-family conflict, and well-being at work. The mass survey was distributed among female managers at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. There were 275 valid cases for descriptive and inferential analysis with partial least square structural equation modelling. It reveals three main findings, including significant sequencing relationships among glass ceiling, work-to-family conflict, and intention to quit with positive impacts; a significantly positive causal relationship between the glass ceiling and intention to quit; and work-to-family conflicts as a significant mediator intervening causal relationship between glass ceiling and intention to quit. This study may bring theoretical and practical implications on the glass ceiling among female managers at work.

Sustainable Development of Education for Giang University - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) or global goals have widely been stated in many countries and international associations in the world. The United Nations SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The author of this article desires to explore the concept of ‘sustainability’ from the literature review and revise the three pillars of the ASEAN Community to find out the connectivity of the 17 SDGs with the ASEAN’s three pillars. Particularly, the author provided the Global Goal 4 – Quality Education in further detail. Then, this paper pointed out some findings through data collection from institutional document analysis and discussions. Findings indicated a clear imbalance between the human resources development and the training courses development of a university member in the system of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh (VNUHCM). The paper ends with some recommendations for enhancing the ASEAN connectivity and the educational sustainability for development at VNUHCM’s university member. Keywords: educational sustainability, quality education, the ASEAN Community’s three pillars, the sustainable development goal, VNUHCM

Preface

Vo Le Phu, Le Anh Kien, Le Van Trung, Nguyen Nhat Huy (Editors) The 3rd International Conference on Environment, Resources and Earth Sciences (ICERES 2023) The International Conference on Environment, Resources and Earth Sciences (ICERES) is a biannually conference organized by the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources (FENR) and Centre Asiatique de Recherche sur l’Eau (CARE), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) and Institute for Tropical Technology and Environmental Protection (VITTEP), Academy of Military Science and Technology (AMST). This conference aims to serve as a platform for scientists to exchange and share the results of basic research and applications as well as cutting edge of knowledge and findings in the domain of environment, resources, and earth sciences. During the last three years, the series of ICERES conferences were held successfully which drawn much attention and attracted many scientists in the fields of Environment, Resources and Earth Sciences. This year, the ICERES 2023 elaborated with the theme of “Green and Nature-based Solutions for Environmental Sustainability and Resources Management” was held on 21 October 2023. It provides a forum for presentation, exhibition, and discussion about the sustainable environmental solutions at both international and local levels. These solutions could be a spectrum of environmental engineering (e.g., sustainable treatment technologies for water, wastewater, air-born pollutants, and solid wastes); natural resources and environmental management (e.g., policy, approaches and technologies for the sustainable management practices of natural resources and environment, natural disasters reduction, and climate change adaptation and mitigation), resources and environmental informatics (e.g., applications of GIS, GNSS, UAV, remote sensing and modeling, etc. in the field of environment and natural resources, and possibility of utilizing new technologies in smart cities; infrastructure and sustainable development), and green waste management (e-wastes, hazardous wastes, eco-campus, urban mining, recycling, energy from wastes, valorization of green wastes, green policies for sustainability). We are welcome the participation of and contribution from the wide range of scientists, managers, lecturers, graduate students, and students from universities, institutes, and research centres as well as officials from relevant government departments, agencies, companies, and enterprises. List of Editors, Scientific Committee and Organizing Committee are available in this Pdf.

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing. Type of peer review: Double Anonymous Conference submission management system: Morressier Number of submissions received: 85 Number of submissions sent for review: 85 Number of submissions accepted: 23 Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 27 Average number of reviews per paper: 2 Total number of reviewers involved: 79 Contact person for queries: Name: Lam Quang Vinh Email: lqvinh@vnuhcm.edu.vn Affiliation: Department of Science and Technology, Viet Nam National University-Ho Chi Minh City

Preface

10 - 13 December 2023 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Conference Website: https://www.isegt.org SEGT 2023 The International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Green Technology 2023 is being held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 9-13 December 2023. The conference is co-organized by Universiti Malaya, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City-University of Science, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Additionally, there are other supporting institutions such as National Cheng Kung University, Xi’an Jiatong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, De La Salle University, National Dong Hwa University, The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and the International Association for Hydrogen Energy. SEGT 2023 welcomed more than 350 participants, representing institutions from 25 economies worldwide, including Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, India, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the US, etc. There are two plenary speakers: Prof. Ibrahim Dincer from Ontario Tech University and Prof. Niu JianLei from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Additionally, six keynote speakers include Mr. Tien Q. Duong, Dr. Luan Quoc Huan, Prof. Wei-Hsin Chen, Prof. Fariborz Haghighat, Prof. Dennis Leung, and Prof. Michael K.H. Leung. Furthermore, there are five special sessions organized by Prof. Qihong Deng, Prof. Talal Yusaf, Dr. Xiao-Qing Yang, Dr. Hiang Kwee Lee, Prof. Hyung-Ho Park, Dr. Viyak G. Parale, and Prof. Chang Jo-Shu. List of Committee of SEGT 2023 and Group photo are available in this pdf.

Preface

The International Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD-2023) was held at the University of Science, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM-US) on October 28th, 2023. During the conference, scholars from different fields presented various outstanding and latest research findings, including (1) Earth science; (2) Environmental science; (3) Natural resource and environmental management; (4) Environmental modeling, GIS and remote sensing; (5) Climate change and sustainable development. The ESD-2023 Conference provided a forum for participants to exchange study ideas, widen research networks, and access valuable opportunities for strengthening study skills.A total of 64 papers were submitted for publishing at the ESD-2023 Conference. A double-blind reviewing process was conducted to ensure only high-quality papers were accepted. As a result, 45 papers were included in this special issue in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. These professional and rigorous reviews played a significant role in maintaining the excellent standards of the conference.The success of the ESD-2023 Conference was made possible through collaborative efforts, dedication, and the support of many organizations and individuals. The Organizing Committee expresses appreciation the financial support provided by VNUHCM-University of Science. We are deeply appreciative of the scientists for their papers and attendance. We also want to express our thanks to all reviewers who dedicated their time and expertise to ensure the quality of the papers for publication. Finally, we also extend our gratitude to individuals whose meticulous planning and efforts were contributed to the conference success.List of Organizing committee, Secretariat, Editor board and List of reviewers are available in this pdf.

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.• Type of peer review: Double Anonymous• Conference submission management system: Morressier• Number of submissions received: 41• Number of submissions sent for review: 36• Number of submissions accepted: 32• Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 78.0 %• Average number of reviews per paper: 2.00• Total number of reviewers involved: 33Contact person for queries:Name: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Tan VietAffiliation: Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh CityEmail: trantanviet@hcmut.edu.vn

Vietnamese Version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: Reliability, Cut-Off Point, and Association With Depression Among Health Science Students

Background and Objective Sleep disturbances among medical students, including insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality, are prevalent issues with potential repercussions on mental health.Methods The study evaluated the Vietnamese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality and investigated the correlation between the results of the PSQI and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scales in health sciences students.Results We conducted this cross-sectional study at the School of Medicine, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, involving 906 medical, pharmaceutical, and dental students. Data were collected through a self-reporting questionnaire.Conclusions The Vietnamese version of the PSQI scale demonstrates acceptable reliability. Furthermore, positive correlations were observed between the total PSQI score and components of the BDI-II. A recommended cut-off point above 5 is proposed for identifying sleep disturbances among health sciences students using the Vietnamese PSQI. Conclusions The study affirms the reliability of the Vietnamese PSQI scale, suggesting its suitability for screening sleep disturbances among health sciences students in Vietnam. PSQI component scores significantly correlated with total BDI-II score.

EXTRACURRICULAR SPORTS: POPULAR CONTENTS AND FORMS AMONG STUDENTS IN THE DORMITORY OF VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY

This article is written to provide thorough information about popular contents and forms of extracurricular sports performed by university students at a dormitory of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCMC). The study uses document references, surveys, and statistical mathematics to investigate what extracurricular sports are favored by the students and how they organize their practices. The results indicate that the majority of students choose to practice football, volleyball, badminton, athletics, and martial arts. They play with themselves and/or in teams, without instructors, from 30 minutes to 02 hours in the afternoon after school time and/or in the morning, at the dormitory and/or sports centers.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0011/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Factors Influencing Middle Administrative Manager Training and Development at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Administrative manager training and development in universities as a contribution to effective university administration in the context of strong movement to autonomy in higher education is a matter of deep concern for many university leaders nowadays. Recognizing the influencing factors and their levels of impact on training and developing administrative managers could allow university leaders to implement appropriate and effective solutions for the process of training and development. This article presents the results of research into the factors affecting middle administrative manager training and development at member universities of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City through surveying opinions of 484 individuals who were officials and managers working at 07 member universities of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and further interviewing 07 participants. 03 categories of factors with 19 items identified as having an impact on middle administrative manager training and development, ranked from high to low level of impact, were organizational factors, functional factors and individual factors. More importantly, the results indicate that factors related to humans, including support from university leaders, capabilities of staff responsible for middle administrative manager development, and motivation of middle administrative managers, are identified as having the greatest impact on training and developing middle administrative managers.

Factors Affecting Adaptability of Teachers in Teaching at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City Under the Covid – 19 Pandemic

This study is to clarify the factors affecting the adaptability in the teaching of lecturers at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-HCM) due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. From the general theoretical basis: concepts, theory of adaptability, characteristics of lecturers, and characteristics of adaptability in teaching, the research identified, and analyzed factors affecting the adaptability in the teaching of lecturers include: (1) Psychology; (2) Attitude; (3) Technology; (4) University Support; (5) Students’ participation; and (6) CCognitivefactor. Accordingly, six hypotheses are built based on the research model. The study used quantity active research methods and conducted cited surveys with 222 lecturers of VNU-HCM using online and face-to-face questionnaires. Collected data were processed by SPSS20 software. After checking the reliability of the scale by Cronbach's Alpha and analyzing the EFA factor, the remaining four hypotheses were tested and achieved high reliability (in which the factors of Student participation and Cognition were disqualified due to failure to meet Cronbach's Alpha criteria). The results of multivariate regression analysis have identified three facto which three factors include (1) Attitude; (2) Technology;(3) University Support have a positive impact on the adaptability in the teaching of teachers. From the research results, the study proposes solutions to improve the adaptability in the teaching of -HCM in the changing conditions caused by the epidemic in particular and changes in the teaching methods in general.
 
 Received: 21 May 2023 / Accepted: 29 July 2023 / Published: 5 September 2023

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.• Type of peer review: Single Anonymous• Conference submission management system: Morressier• Number of submissions received: 61• Number of submissions sent for review: 24• Number of submissions accepted: 16• Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 26.2• Average number of reviews per paper: 1• Total number of reviewers involved: 24• Contact person for queries: Name: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City Email: cap@hcmussh.edu.vn Affiliation: Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City - University of Social Sciences and Humanities

The needs of digital scholarship services at Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the needs of lecturers and learners for digital scholarship services (DSS) and to suggest recommendations for the development of DSS at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM).Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a mixed method approach, comprising a paper questionnaire with 360 respondents to collect quantitative data and in-depth interviews with 18 participants, including lecturers (L), postgraduate students (P), and undergraduate students (U), to gather qualitative data.FindingsThe findings indicate that lecturers and students have diverse needs for various DSS services, with digital information resources and institutional repositories being the most common, followed by new and workable digital technology infrastructure, training courses in using digital tools and methods, and ongoing advice and support at different stages of the research process.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study indicate that further research is necessary to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the DSS needs in higher education institutions in Vietnam of various sizes and characteristics.Practical implicationsThis research provides a practical basis for the development and provision of appropriate support to the development of DSS at VNU-HCM.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper and its value lies in the contribution to the understanding of the needs of DSS in a context of the digital transformation and the improvement of the quality of education and research in the higher education sector in Vietnam.

Preface

International Conference on Environment, Earth Science and Sustainability (ICES) Proceedings of International Conference on Environment, Earth Science and Sustainability (ICES 2022) Following six successful events of the Annual Workshop, the 7th Annual IIES Science and Policy Workshop was jointly organized with the International Conference on Environment, Earth Science and Sustainability (ICES) from 24 Oct to 28 Oct 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The ICES 2022 - a multidisciplinary conference - initiated under the auspices of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Trent University (Canada) and the IIES Network, and was taken place in the occasion of the 65th anniversary of HCMUT.This year, the ICES Conference with the theme of “Integrated Multidisciplinary Sciences towards Sustainable Development” was held in Ho Chi Minh City (24 - 26 Oct 2022) and Phu Quoc, Vietnam (27 - 28 Oct 2022). The Conference was successfully organized by a synergy of the consortium of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, International Institute for Environmental Studies, Trent University, Nan Jing University, Kunsan National University (KSNU), Dalhousie University, and Institute for Circular Economy Development - VNU-HCM.The ICES 2022 covers five main topics of (i) Civil Engineering, (ii) Environmental Sciences and Management, (iii) Environmental Engineering and Technologies, (iv) Earth Sciences/Natural Resources, and (v) Circular Economy/Sustainability. Participants gained insights into current research in civil engineering, earth and environmental science, policy and planning, and attained a worthy opportunity to meet colleagues from several institutions, universities, and agencies. For students, this is a chance to share their research outcomes and to build-up potential collaborative relationships at an international level. The Conference drew substantial attention from leading scientists, managers, lecturers, and merit students from universities, institutes, and research centers as well as officials from relevant government departments, agencies, companies, and enterprises.Overall, the Conference has attracted more than 216 papers from scientists, researchers, government managers, and graduate students. Among them, 79 high-quality papers were recommended to submit for peer-reviewing. Then, the double-blind review process was carried out for the 67 papers, in which each paper has been reviewed for its merit and novelty by at least two reviewers and one editor by matching the content areas. As a result, a total of 37 papers have been finally selected for this proceedings book. We believe that this proceedings book provides a broad overview of recent advanced studies in the fields of Civil Engineering, Material, Circular Economy, Environment, Resources and Earth Sciences for readers.Most importantly, we would like to express our sincere thanks to (i) Division of Science and Technology – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (Prof. Lam Quang Vinh); (ii) Rector of HCMUT (Prof. Mai Thanh Phong) for their help and other supports. We would like to thank all the reviewers for their timely and rigorous reviews of the papers and all authors for their interests in the ICES 2022.List of Editors are available in the pdf.

THE PHYSICAL FITNESS STATUS OF MALE STUDENTS OF DONG NAI UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

The article was made with the aim of evaluating the most fair and comprehensive way of physical fitness of male students at Dong Nai University. To bring about accurate results for the study, the team used research techniques common in the fields of physical education and sports. Therefore, the current fitness status of Dong Nai University students is assessed by comparing their performance with the average fitness of Vietnam and other universities such as Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) of the same age and sex. In this way, the fitness of 19-year-old students of Dong Nai University is also measured according to Decision 53/2008/BGD&DT of the Ministry of Education and Training. The results showed that people with good physical strength accounted for 2.49% of the total number of study subjects, people with acceptable fitness accounted for 7.47% and people with poor physical strength accounted for 90.04%. In general, male students from Dong Nai University have better physical fitness than the average Vietnamese, more than VNU-HCM students, and compared to Vietnamese in average physical strength and strength. hand and forearm muscles. They are also lower than the average fitness of the Vietnamese, lower than the students of VNU-HCM, and the average fitness of the Vietnamese in terms of speed, leg muscle strength, endurance, sub-muscular strength and dexterity.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0015/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Influences of Students’ Self-Directed Learning on Their Grades in English as a Foreign Language Subject at the University Of Social Science and Humanities Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

The research aimed to clarify the role of self-directed learning in the learning process of English learners at the University of Social Science and Humanities Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. There were 539 students participating in this research. Within this research, the self-directed learning scale by Bhrati et al (2020) was administrated and the English grades were evaluated by participants. The results revealed that most of the students were at a good level in learning English according to their self-record. Self-directed learning explained 43.9% of changes in English learning grades, which means the higher students practice self-directed learning in learning English, the more chances their English learning grades could be changed. Especially, planning and deploying learning activities, a factor of self-directed learning, contribute mainly to changes in the English grades of students. As the results, the research suggests that lecturers and school managers should introduce and equip students with good planning and deploying learning activities skills to improve English grades and English learning outcomes in general. Moreover, the study also indicated that family social economic status could be a factor contributing to improving students’ self-directed learning and English learning grades. It could imply that social policymakers could reference for further consideration social impacts resulting in improving community education outcomes.

Preface

The rapid development of Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing technologies have provided opportunities for GIS and remote sensing applications to be integrated into various practical fields over the past decades. Especially, GIS and remote sensing have led to significant breakthroughs in research related to natural resources, environment, disaster risk, geospatial databases, land use change and urbanization. In that context, The National Conference on GIS Application 2022: GIS and Remote Sensing Applications for Environment and Resource Management was held at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City - University of Science (VNU-HCM) during 11-12 November, 2022. The major objectives of the conference are to create a symposium for scientists, scholars, managers and stakeholders to exchange their research achievements, applications of GIS and remote sensing technologies in various fields of environmental and natural resource management as well as to propose development orientations for GIS and remote sensing technologies in the future.With a great privilege, we would like to present IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science to readers. After rigorous reviews, thirty papers from the conference were selected to publish in this special issue. These papers represented cutting-edge research on a variety of subjects, including (a) agriculture and climate change; (b) environmental management; (c) geospatial database analysis; (d) land use change; and (e) natural resources management.We appreciate the support provided by the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) and the University of Science (VNUHCM-US) for the conference. We would like to express our gratitude to all conference participants for their papers and attendance. We also want to express our appreciation and gratitude to all the reviewers who have assisted us in maintain the quality reputation of the articles submitted for publication in the IOP proceedings. Finally, we would like to give special thanks to the conference organizer and to all others whose contributions made the publication of the special issue.On behalf of editor boardAssoc. Prof. Dao Nguyen KhoiFaculty of Environment, University of ScienceVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh CityList of Organizing committee, Secretariat, Editor board, List of reviewers are available in this pdf.

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.1. Type of peer review: Single anonymous2. Conference submission management system: Morressier3. Number of submissions received: 334. Number of submissions sent for review: 325. Number of submissions accepted: 296. Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 87.9 %7. Average number of reviews per paper: 2.008. Total number of reviewers involved: 279. Contact person for queries:Name: Assoc.Prof. Dao Nguyen KhoiAffiliation: Faculty of Environment, University of Science, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh CityEmail: dnkhoi@hcmus.edu.vn

Influence of socioeconomic status and university’s internal environment factors on university-choice decisions of postgraduate students in Vietnam

Postgraduate students' university selection decisions are influenced not only by the students themselves or their families, but also by internal university factors. This study evaluated the reasons for pursuing postgraduate education and investigated how family’s socioeconomic status and the university’s internal environment factors influenced postgraduate students’ university choice decisions. The study surveyed 401 first-year postgraduate students across five member universities of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City using a questionnaire and five semi-structured interviews. The empirical data revealed many reasons behind respondents’ decisions, with the mean value ranging from 3.49 to 4.14, including reasons such as the desire to continue to learn and progress professionally, to obtain an additional graduate degree, passion for the graduated field, to pursue their own profession, the opportunity to meet and socialize with new friends, to get a job or find a better one, and to change the course of life. In addition, factors such as socioeconomic status (such as family income) and the university's internal environment (such as curricula, facilities, admissions, marketing and communication, service attitude, and learning environment) have also have different positive and negative effects on their judgments about which universities to select. The study also discussed suggestions for higher education managers and other stakeholders.