Table 1
College Choice Factors Mean Level of Importance.
| SURVEY ITEMS | LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVERALL SAMPLE | COLLEGE SELECTIONBEFORE/AFTER SERVICE | ATTENDING COLLEGE ONLINE/ON-CAMPUS | PUBLIC 4-YEAR/OTHER INSTITUTION | ||||
| BEFORE | AFTER | ONLINE | CAMPUS | PUBLIC | OTHER | ||
| Availability of my desired academic program | 4.49 (0.81) | 4.25 (.71) | 4.50 (.81) | 4.89 (.32) | 4.39 (.92) | 4.51 (.85) | 4.47 (.73) |
| Cost affordability | 3.70 (1.17) | 4.13 (.64) | 3.66 (1.27) | 4.17 (1.20) | 3.43 (1.33) | 3.89 (1.15) | 3.33 (1.16) |
| College/university employee responsiveness to my inquiries | 3.69 (1.07) | 3.88 (.83) | 3.77 (1.07) | 3.72 (1.18) | 3.48 (1.29) | 3.70 (1.15) | 3.67 (.92) |
| Military tuition discount scholarship | 3.52 (1.49) | 3.88 (1.13) | 3.23 (1.64) | 3.61 (1.69) | 4.00 (1.41) | 3.30 (1.58) | 3.93 (1.20) |
| The prestige or reputation of the institution and/or program | 3.49 (1.14) | 3.38 (1.06) | 3.60 (1.03) | 3.61 (1.20) | 3.81 (1.33) | 3.44 (1.17) | 3.60 (1.10) |
| Campus environment | 3.49 (1.32) | 3.63 (.74) | 3.42 (1.26) | 1.78* (1.06) | 3.95* (1.02) | 3.30 (1.38) | 3.87 (1.14) |
| Transfer policies related to military training (Joint Service Transcript, Community College of the Air Force, etc.) | 3.36 (1.46) | 3.25 (1.58) | 3.08 (1.49) | 3.72 (1.49) | 3.14 (1.56) | 3.23 (1.44) | 3.60 (1.49) |
| The geographic proximity to where I live now | 3.36 (1.56) | 3.20 (.93) | 3.27 (1.56) | 1.17* (1.42) | 3.38* (1.75) | 3.44 (1.60) | 3.21 (1.47) |
| Perceived availability of the institution’s support services for student veterans | 3.31 (1.21) | 3.38 (.92) | 3.15 (1.29) | 2.89 (1.32) | 3.57 (1.25) | 3.25 (1.27) | 3.43 (1.10) |
| The geographic proximity to where I first moved after military service | 2.78 (1.69) | 2.00 (.76) | 2.42 (1.61) | 1.72 (1.27) | 2.81 (1.75) | 2.51 (1.72) | 3.31 (1.51) |
| Family members | 2.52 (1.41) | 3.25 (1.39) | 2.26 (1.36) | 2.06 (1.26) | 2.81 (1.78) | 2.39 (1.39) | 2.77 (1.43) |
| The geographic proximity to where I entered the military from | 2.38 (1.59) | 4.13* (.84) | 1.87* (1.29) | 2.67 (1.61) | 2.76 (1.76) | 2.11 (1.51) | 2.90 (1.63) |
| Friends who are not military connected | 2.34 (1.20) | 2.36 (.74) | 2.13 (1.13) | 1.39 (.70) | 2.50 (1.32) | 2.07 (1.06) | 2.83 (1.32) |
| Marketing from the college/university (commercials, billboards, online ads, etc.) | 2.32 (1.18) | 3.13 (1.25) | 2.11 (.99) | 2.28 (1.27) | 2.29 (1.15) | 2.09 (1.01) | 2.77 (1.36) |
| Student veterans/military members I personally know | 2.29 (1.31) | 2.38 (1.41) | 1.87 (1.09) | 2.58 (1.31) | 2.52 (1.25) | 2.09 (1.23) | 2.67 (1.40) |
| U.S. News “Best Colleges for Veterans” List | 2.21 (1.36) | 2.13 (1.55) | 1.83 (1.06) | 2.08 (1.38) | 2.71 (1.42) | 1.82 (1.13) | 2.33 (1.46) |
| Previous enrollment (i.e., you were enrolled here while on active duty) | 2.21 (1.41) | 1.13 (.64) | 1.67 (1.20) | 1.72 (1.27) | 2.25 (1.55) | 1.88 (1.25) | 2.35 (1.49) |
| Military base education center | 2.17 (1.32) | 2.63 (1.30) | 1.85 (1.09) | 1.61 (1.04) | 2.52 (1.44) | 1.93 (1.16) | 2.63 (1.50) |
| Military Times “Best for Vets” Colleges List | 2.17 (1.34) | 2.00 (1.51) | 1.77 (1.09) | 2.08 (1.38) | 2.48 (1.44) | 1.82 (1.14) | 2.33 (1.46) |
| Viqtory Media “Military Friendly Schools” List | 2.10 (1.31) | 2.88 (1.25) | 1.70 (.95) | 2.08 (1.24) | 2.52 (1.37) | 1.68 (1.02) | 2.09 (1.45) |
| Best Colleges “Guide for Servicemembers and Veterans” List | 2.08 (1.31) | 2.13 (1.55) | 1.64 (.96) | 1.92 (1.17) | 2.25 (1.50) | 1.67 (1.01) | 2.27 (1.34) |
| Veterans Upward Bound program | 2.01 (1.33) | 2.50 (1.69) | 1.58 (1.01) | 1.44 (.71) | 2.14 (1.39) | 1.54 (.87) | 2.30 (1.61) |
| Veteran social media groups | 1.99 (1.20) | 2.75 (1.28) | 1.70 (.97) | 1.33 (.77) | 1.95 (1.07) | 1.77 (1.02) | 2.40 (1.40) |
[i] Note: Mean values are presented with standard deviation in parentheses. Bold values with asterisks represent significant mean differences between groups (p ≤ .05). Participants rated each survey item on the level of importance when deciding which institution to pursue for their current degree program using 1–5 Likert-type scale (1 = not at all important; 5 = very important). Survey items are presented in descending order of importance based on the overall sample. Additional information is provided for the following sub-groups: when the college selection was made (before or after military service), the modality selected (online or on-campus), and the type of institution selected (public 4-year or other).
Table 2
Factor Loadings with Varimax Rotation for Three-Factor Solution of College Choice Items.
| SURVEY ITEM | FACTOR LOADINGS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Availability of my desired academic program | .440 | ||
| Cost/affordability | .565 | ||
| College/university employee responsiveness to my inquiries | .498 | ||
| Military tuition discount/scholarship | .483 | ||
| The prestige or reputation of the institution and/or program | .473 | ||
| Campus environment | .422 | ||
| Transfer policies related to military training | .437 | ||
| The geographic proximity to where I live now | .682 | ||
| Perceived availability of the institution’s support services for student veterans | .449 | ||
| The geographic proximity to where I first moved after military service | .537 | ||
| Family members | .430 | ||
| The geographic proximity to where I entered the military from | .457 | ||
| Friends who are not military connected | .645 | ||
| Marketing from the college/university (commercials, billboards, online ads, etc.) | .580 | ||
| Student veterans/military members I personally know | .738 | ||
| U.S. News “Best Colleges for Veterans” List | .815 | ||
| Previous enrollment (i.e., you were enrolled here while on active duty) | .580 | ||
| Military base education center | .679 | ||
| Military Times “Best for Vets” Colleges List | .835 | ||
| Viqtory Media “Military Friendly Schools” List | .795 | ||
| Best Colleges “Guide for Servicemembers and Veterans” List | .837 | ||
| Veterans Upward Bound program | .798 | ||
| Veteran social media groups | .758 | ||
[i] Note: In general, factor 1 items relate to marketing and information about the institution; factor 2 items relate to personal support and geographic considerations; factor 3 items relate to opportunities provided by the institution (including academic and financial support).