Identifying and Ranking the factors of Student Choices for Universities and Academic Disciplines with the Most and Least Applicants Across Five Experimental Cohorts in National Entrance exams from 2017 to 2022

The present study aimed to identify and prioritize the factors that influence candidates' preferences when selecting universities and academic fields, focusing on those with the highest and lowest preferences across five experimental groups during the national entrance exams from 2018 to 2022. A descriptive-survey approach was utilized to meet the study's goals. The population of this study encompassed all students enrolled in various disciplines within these five groups over the specified years. A sample of 646 students was conveniently chosen for participation. To gather data, a custom-designed questionnaire with 22 questions was used. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-sample t-test, Friedman test and Mann–Whitney U test) through SPSS 26 software. Analysis revealed that students in highly preferred universities and fields prioritized factors in the following order: 1- labor market, 2- University branding, 3- University's geographical location, 4- Educational quality, 5- Facilities and student services, 6- Psycho-social influences. Conversely, students in less preferred universities and fields ranked these factors as follows: 1- labor market, 2- University's geographical location, 3- Student welfare facilities and services, 4- Psycho-social influences, 5- University branding, 6- Educational quality. Additionally, significant difference was observed among five factors between the two groups (p<0.001).