Research or applied universities? An exploratory qualitative study of prospective student’s selection of universities with different brand identities

This chapter challenges the assumption that better ranked universities will always attract more international students. The evidence presented in this study is a strong departure from current educational discourse that focuses on how universities use academic rankings to promote their schools and programmes to prospective students, particularly those from overseas. Grounded in consumer behaviour theory, this chapter shows that students’ regulatory focus will have a great deal to play in terms of their evaluation and ultimately selection (i.e., enrolment) of research versus applied universities.