The role of location in the college choice process: A focus on urban colleges and universities.

摘要

Geographic location regularly surfaces in the higher education literature as an important factor in college choice, particularly for urban institutions, and the urban attraction literature in economics and urban studies identifies clusters of factors that draw firms, residents, and employees to cities and regions. However, few studies have examined the role that particular urban attributes play in the college decision-making process for different types of students. Hence, this study makes theoretical and practical contributions to both the college choice and urban attraction literatures by addressing two research questions: what kinds of students are attracted to colleges/universities in urban settings and what kinds of urban settings are most attractive to college students? To answer each question, quantitative, regression-based analyses are conducted on preexisting datasets (primarily the Education Longitudinal Study for the first question and IPEDS and Census-related datasets for the second), with application behavior serving as the foundation for dependent variables in each analysis.;Findings for the first question suggest that students who apply to highly selective institutions, attended urban high schools, and are non-White are most likely to consider urban colleges/universities. By contrast, students who are concerned with crime and value an institution's social life and student characteristics are less apt to apply to urban institutions. To a lesser extent, the sources of information students consult about colleges (parents, college publications, college searches) and their life aspirations (e.g., a desire to contribute to one's community) also influence urban college choice.;Results for the second question show that location does shape the attractiveness of institutions, with urban (relative to rural) institutions having lower application rates. Comparing one urban institution to another, certain institutional characteristics make an institution more attractive (selective admissions, high freshman retention rates, and high dormitory capacity). However, with few exceptions (unemployment rate, proximity to city center, and region of country), specific aspects of the host city do not influence the desirability of one urban institution relative to another.;The conclusion of the study highlights its contributions to the literature, makes suggestions for future research on the topic, and discusses implications for policy and practice.