Influencers of University Choice: Who influences first-year computer science students to study at UKZN?.

Abstract

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing which focuses on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. This study looks at who are the influencers of university choice, as prospective students consult with many different people when making their university choice. The research objectives and questions centred around identifying influencers, determining their strength, ranking their influence and recommending how they could be incorporated into university marketing strategies. By focusing on first-year BSc Computer Science and Information Technology students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This study aimed to identify the main influencers of students’ choice of university. A census method was applied to collect data that was directed to an entire population of first-year students (as above). A response rate of 72% was obtained, with 110 respondents from a population of 152 students. The Social Influence Theory, as proposed by Herbert Kelman, was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Findings revealed that influencers who had the most interaction with students had the strongest influence. Parents were found to be the strongest and only significant influencer of university choice. In order of most to least influential, influencers were ranked as follows: interpersonal/ intrapersonal influencers, school influencers, UKZN influencers and inspirational influencers. It was recommended that UKZN use parents in marketing strategies, use stronger influencers to aid UKZN staff, develop potential influencers and engage with industry. The scope, time-period and size of study were identified as limitations. As a direction for future research, a study examining individual influencers can be done to attain better understanding of the strength/weakness of the influencer.