Identity and branding in higher education institutions is one of the many attributes of a university that potential students look for when searching for a place to study. This phenomenological qualitative study used interviews of eleven current and past students at the University of the Great Lakes (UGL) to discover what attributes of the university were important while contributing to their decisions about attending the university. The results indicated that branding and other factors were instrumental in helping these students pick the UGL--a decision that gave the participants the knowledge necessary to broaden their experiences and shape their future goals. Further findings suggested that the UGL should promote its strengths of student engagement and resources, professors, and their brand. Findings also suggested that the negative aspects of the UGL, including leadership turnover and layoffs of staff and faculty, need to be mitigated going forward. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]