Purpose: Research shows that family is influential to African Americans in college choice (Chapman "et al.," 2018; Chapman "et al.," 2020; Freeman, 2005; Hines "et al.," 2019; Lowry, 2017; Williams, 2018). However, it often overlooks unique, African-rooted characteristics of African American families and culture. This…

Regional Technical Colleges, later Institutes of Technology, were developed just over fifty years ago in response to a perceived gap in knowledge, skills, and competencies required to promote market growth and success (Thorn, 2018). It was envisaged that this change to Ireland's higher education landscape would be capable of continuing adaptation…

Sociologists of education have a longstanding interest in studying the relationship between schooling and inequality in society. While we know education matters for who gets ahead, we still know relatively less about the processes and mechanisms behind this relationship. In my dissertation, I focus on higher education as a key site where…

The aim of this study is to explore the existence of different segments of future university students on the basis of their university selection criteria and to analyse the extent to which the segments identified differ as regards the students' perceptions of the reliability of university communication tools. This has been done using 605 usable…

This research looks at higher education choice through the lens of extended self in consumer behavior. An online survey at two US universities, one public and one private, found that extended-self moderated how much fulfillment of self-image needs led students to like a university. Self-esteem needs were a critical part of this process, positively…

This qualitative study examines the Black college tours implemented at Inkster High School which exposed high school students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the Midwest, South, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. While there is substantial grey literature that describes the Black college tour…

The traditional college-age population is shrinking: fewer high school graduates pursue higher education each year, resulting in declining student enrollment at colleges across the country. At the same time, there are now more than 40 million Americans who have stopped out of college with some credit and no credential or degree. By opting out or…

An evaluation of extant research reveals a significant blind spot around investigating the enrolment decision-making of Indian international students in the STEM fields. This study qualitatively explores the motivations of Indian international students to pursue a STEM Master's program in an industrialised country. To elicit pertinent information,…

Given inequities in transfer student success, emerging research about transfer students has focused on students' familial relationships and identities including race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. This qualitative study uses the reconceptualized model of multiple dimensions of identity to explore how social and relational identities influence…

As it becomes more difficult to predict enrollment outcomes and the decline in high school graduates' looms on the horizon, the ability of higher education leaders to understand what characteristics of the university brand are most compelling for prospective students is important to ensure enrollment objectives are met. This mixed-methods…

Despite high aspirations, many students do not complete postsecondary education. Some scholars advocate for providing more college information to increase enrollment and reduce attainment gaps but this approach overlooks what school counselors and students do with information. Based on interviews and participant observations drawn from 20 urban…

This dissertation examines how first-generation high school Students of Color from California's San Joaquin Valley navigate digital marketing and advertising during their college search and application processes, offering a timely contribution to the study of college admissions in a post-affirmative action landscape. Higher education institutions…

Previous research has shown that when adult students receive credit for their prior learning (CPL), they are more likely to complete credentials while saving time and money doing so. In addition, colleges and universities can also benefit from CPL: adult students who earn credit through CPL are more likely to persist toward completion, and so they…

Declining enrollment of African American 1st-year students at a predominately White institution (PWI) may indicate an unwelcoming campus culture. For the last 5 years, African American 1st-year enrollment has decreased at a local PWI. The purpose of this study was to better understand how the campus climate may influence the enrollment decision…

Literature exploring first-generation college students is evolving to include the often-missed lived postsecondary experiences of first-generation immigrant college students of color. Research delving further into the nuanced postsecondary aspirations and experiences of those college students of color who are both first-generation and from an…