Factors that Contribute to a Student's College Choice Decision: College Characteristics \u2014 Geographic Location

Factors that Contribute to a Student's College Choice Decision: College Characteristic \u2014 Geographic Location, is a review of the literature that analyzes and presents the central characteristics found within the four preexisting student college choice models. Over the past couple of decades, multiple different student college choice models have been created in order to define the process in which a student decides specifically on a college. The combined models that are analyzed within this study are: Chapman model (1981), Jackson model (1982), Hanson and Litten model (1989) and Hossler and Gallagher Model (1987). The focus on combined models in this literature review, ensures that all the models incorporate the rational assumptions seen in economic models and also analyze the components of status attainment models (Jackson, 1982). The four combined models will present various influences and factors that play a part within the student decision to overall attend college and then go on to define how a student chooses a specific college. Multiple different models analyzed within this study discuss how particular college characteristics play an ample role in the college student choice process. One of the biggest college characteristics seen within all four models, is the influence of college location on the decision making process. With location playing a vital role within the college choice decision, the factor of an institution's geographic location (in-state vs. out-of-state) will be analyzed in relation to these preexisting models.