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Academically Oriented Facilities Very Important in Student Enrollment Decisions

June 13, 2006

More than 73 percent of students across the country indicated that facilities related to their majors were “extremely” or “very important” in their decisions about which college or university to attend, according to a new study by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (APPA).  Facilities related to a major were followed by the library (54 percent) and sophisticated technology (51 percent) in significance, while only 15 percent of students indicated that athletic facilities were important. The study, which shows the extent to which students are concerned about campus facilities and their upkeep, also noted that over 29 percent of students surveyed had rejected an institution that lacked a facility they felt was important.




Though overall quality of facilities was shown to be of significant importance in a prospective student’s decision-making process, overall quality of campus facilities fell behind the following institutional characteristics:

• Strong major in field of interest
• Excellent teachers
• Preparation for a career
• Accessible professors
• Customizable education

The authors will present their full report at The Campus of the Future meeting, a joint conference convened by NACUBO, SCUP, and APPA in Hawaii next month.  An article based on the survey’s findings is currently available on the APPA Web site.  The full research report will be available this summer.