Shaping futures: How student experience and perceived quality drive college preferences for postgraduate studies in Bandung, Indonesia

Postgraduate education plays a key role in developing skilled human resources and advancing knowledge. With increasing competition among universities in Indonesian cities such as Bandung, understanding the factors that influence students’ choices of master’s programs is crucial. This study aims to critically examine the role of student experience and perceived quality of higher education in shaping students’ decision-making processes regarding the selection of postgraduate institutions. This study was conducted at 14 private universities in Bandung, Indonesia. The study population consisted of 70,284 students, with 400 respondents selected across 29 study programs that offered master’s degrees. A proportional random sampling method was used. The research hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS. The findings indicate that student experience significantly impacts perceived quality (ß = 0.662, p = 0.000). Perceived quality also has a positive and significant effect on college preferences (ß = 0.366, p = 0.000). In addition, student experience significantly influences college preferences (ß = 0.148, p = 0.006). Furthermore, student experience indirectly affects college preference through perceived quality (ß = 0.242, p = 0.000). These results highlight that perceived quality is a major factor influencing college preferences. This study underscores the importance of student experience and perceived quality in shaping students’ preferences for postgraduate institutions. By enhancing positive student experiences and ensuring high educational quality, universities can strengthen their appeal and support students in making informed decisions about their postgraduate education. Acknowledgment To support the seamless operation of this PhD study, the author would like to thank STIE Ekuitas Bandung-Indonesia for providing tuition aid for 3.5 years.