When students choose their university, they look for quality: cost or distance do not put them off
Why students choose to study at Comenius University Bratislava? What are their sources of information and who do they approach for advice? We were polling first-year students two years in a row, asking the same questions. Results did not change much between the years.
The number of applications received by Comenius University has recently been increasing. While in 2017 we received 12,331 applications for study in the bachelor and joint (first and second degree) programmes, this year the number has risen to 16,667.
In the 2020/2021 academic year our questionnaire was returned by 326 students. Most of them studied at the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Education. One year later, we received 188 responses from students, most of them from the same three faculties. Even though the sample may not be representative, the fact that the survey was undertaken repeatedly might at least provide an indication of a trend.
Students begin considering university even before high school
Surveys from both years indicate that most students start thinking about choosing a university even before they enrol in high school. The second most common answer was ‘3rd year of high school’. Their final decision is most frequently made in the final year of high school or just after graduating from it.
According to the survey, the first choice of the high school students who now study at Comenius University was a school in Slovakia. This was the response given by 93 % in 2020/2021, and by 83 % one year later. The rest were planning to study at universities in the Czech Republic and elsewhere abroad. Comenius University was also the first choice of the vast majority of our students. As many as 90 % are still satisfied with this decision.
When choosing a university, students paid the most attention to the quality of study programmes, the demands placed on students, the renown and tradition of the university, but also the ranking of the university in worldwide rankings. At the same time, students believed that Comenius University fared better in these parameters than other universities.
The least important aspects were the costs associated with the study, high demands during the admission procedure, distance of the university from home and sporting opportunities.
They most frequently obtain information on the web, at fairs and from acquaintances
When deciding about university, they value the opinion of their parents and friends alongside their own. Comenius University was recommended to them by friends, parents and acquaintances, based mostly on their own experience. Some students were also recommended other universities, mainly due to lower cost of study or proximity to their home.
Students learned about Comenius University mainly from the web, followed by other sources, like acquaintances and friends, and education fairs. When deciding about their study, students preferred visiting a website and communicating by e-mail over communication via social networks. Almost half of the students cannot compare how the communication of Comenius University compares to that of other universities. Of those who do have this experience, three quarters believe that CU’s communication is better.
The number of applications keeps growing
The university’s presence on the vysokeskoly.sk portal also drew increased numbers of visitors. During the surveyed period of January 2021 to January 2022, the number of visitors of the Comenius University profile increased by 193%, and reached 63,098 unique visits. According to a survey ran by the vysokeskoly.sk portal, most applicants search for information on the web - up to 96%. Other sources of information include friends and acquaintances (55% of applicants), open doors events (49%), trade fairs (41%), the media (30%), and study counsellors and teachers (24%). More than 2,300 high school students participated in this survey, which makes the sample representative.
The results suggest that awareness about the possibilities of study at Comenius University can be improved through better web visibility of the university, consistent CU brand communication, increased number of events targeted at students such as the Open Doors Day or Try Being a University Student for a Day, as well as regular presence at education fairs. The increasing number of applications proves that Comenius University ticks most of these boxes.
Lenka Miller