Factors related with the university degree selection in spanish public university system. An structural equation model analysis

Abstract

Students take into account different factors in their choice of university studies and college. In this work we present a partial multivariate model that takes into account the weight of the different variables linked to this decision. We have studied three samples (n=372 from the Universidad Pablo de Olavide; n=2244 from the Universitat Politècnica de València, and n=543 from the Universitat de Barcelona) from several degrees in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years. The global effect shows that the structural model fits reasonably well in the three universities studied. However, there are different intensity effects, in the case of UPV and UB, they show higher intensity than in UPO. This makes us think that in most urban universities with a clear and regular offer of degrees, personal and social factors are more important than in the case of universities (UPO) with an offer and dimension not yet completely defined.