A profile of Antecedents in selecting a Higher Education Institution

Indian higher education system is one of the largest in terms of enrolments; more than 800 universities and 25000 plus higher education institutions make the education industry as competitive and vibrant one. Engineering education, in particular, recognized as a niche section with more than 1.5 million students. In Tamil Nadu, more than 580 colleges engaging in the engineering education. However, in the recent times, the enrolment numbers are staggering and every year more number of seats left unfilled. One of the reason often quoted for the shutting down is quality of faculty and delivery of required inputs. In this background, the current research work aims to address the differences in factors considered for choosing an education institution and gender differences in evaluating the importance attached to the select list of antecedents. The results confirmed that there is a gender difference and male respondents have given significantly lower importance for all the attributes. Safe and Friendly Environment, Learning Environment and Job Prospects, Reputation, Placement and Soft & Hard Infrastructure received highest importance while selecting a higher education institution.