Postgraduate Decision Making

Emily HargreavesMarket Research Officer

The Research

• Aim: to understand what influences PG students’ choice of university

• 6 focus groups– 2 x Home / EU final year UG students– 2 x Home / EU PG students– 2 x International students – mixture of final year UG and PG

Motivations

How do they research their options?

• Most had a good idea of what they wanted to study before they began their search

• A Google key word search was used to identify institutions offering similar courses

• League tables used to identify strong institutions

• UG tutors consulted in their capacity as experts

“By the time you get to

masters you know what you want

from a course.”

Refining options

• PG’s main source of information on universities was their websites, where they searched for course and institution information

• They only ordered prospectuses from institutions they were seriously considering – the main value was to aid comparison between institutions

• Prospective PGs were more likely to contact universities / departments they were interested in to make enquiries and discuss courses in detail

What are they excited about?

• The opportunity to learn new things• Gain greater independence in their learning• Discover a new place – and perhaps a new culture• Working with a high ranking department• Working alongside students with similar interests• Making connections with industry

And what are their concerns?

• Moving to an unfamiliar area or country• Level of study• Will the investment pay off?• Finances

“They might want you to

have brilliant ideas if you're doing a

masters – and I can’t think of

any!”

Finances

• Finances play a big role in decision making • Tuition fees and living expenses whilst studying are

taken into account• Lack of affordable private funding options add to

perceptions of PG as a financial investment• Availability of bursaries, scholarships and other

funding opportunities can influence choices• Providing clear, accurate and timely information on

fees and funding will help students make the right choices for them

• Proving value for money is key to converting applicants

So what do prospective PGs want from universities?

Treat me as an individual

Show me university life

Engage me in my subject

Give me value for money

Treat me as an individual

• Taking a PG qualification to specialise or stand out – be recognised as an individual

• Hoping for more personal relationship with department

• Looking for signs of this before registration– Personal responses to enquiries– Staff interested in applicant and happy to help

• Happy to dismiss universities that don’t appear to value applicants

“I’m not saying they went out of their way, but they

definitely put in effort to help

me.”

Give me value for money

• PG study is a big investment • Students are investing to benefit their careers• They want reassurance that they will get a

return on their investment– Employability prospects– Help them stand out– Sources of financial support

“If you don’t have a

masters it’s

harder to get a

job.”

Engage me in my subject

• Prospective PGs want a more detailed understanding of what they will be studying and how they would fit in with the department– Detailed module info– Assessment methods– Experience / skills– Staff / PhD research profiles

• Those contacting the university want to discuss the programme and ideas in detail with a tutor / academics

“A department that was

willing…to discuss ideas with you is one

I’d be more willing to work with.”

Show me university life

• PG students won’t be solely focused on their studies – they want to know about where they will be living as well:– Accommodation– What’s going on in town and on campus– Clubs and societies– Local amenities

“[The campus] just has

so much going on… to me this feels

like a

community.”

Key messages – what works…

Lancaster is top tenResearch excellence• These messages combine to show the

quality of a degree• Seen to improve employability

Careers & employability• Priority for most prospective PGs• Reassuring to know support will be

there

“If employers have heard of it they are

much more likely to

value the degree.”

…and what doesn’t

We’re global• More of a hygiene factor• Needs to be truly global• Recognition of international research

and recognition by employers internationally was valued

We’re collegiate• Less applicable for PG than UG• Has some appeal for incoming PG

students

“If you’re not global nowadays

there’s no point in you being there.”

Thank you – any questions?

For more information please contact Emily Hargreaves (e.hargreaves@lancaster.ac.uk)