Factors Influencing University and Program Choices Among Health Sciences Students

Aims: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the university and study program choices of preparatory-year and first-year students who chose to study in the field of health sciences in universities across Turkey. Method: A total of 820 students (740 female, 80 male) studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences participated in the study. Within the scope of the study, students were asked to complete an online questionnaire on demographic information and various factors influencing their choices. Results: Analysis of the data revealed that the most influential factors on the choice of university were academic reputation and location of the university, while the least influential one was the economic factor. In addition to sociodemographic characteristics, personality traits (patience, empathy, kindness, etc.) and the family’s health status were found to be influential on students’ choice of health field (p≤ 0.005), but parents’ educational level and the high school formerly attended were not influential (p≥ 0.005). Conclusion: It was concluded from the study that, as is the case with students studying in different programs, numerous factors play a role in the students' choice of university and discipline, and that individual factors are critical in this process.