This study focuses on the primary stakeholders of higher education institutions, students,
with a particular emphasis on first-year students. The aim of the study is to segment
students by institutional choice and to characterize them by demographics and by level
and field of education. An online questionnaire (2,330 students) was used to investigate
the factors that influence the outcome of the decision-making process at the time
of application. Based on the factors (education and reputation; dormitory and services;
opinion of others; city), four groups of students could be distinguished: Uninterested
Students; Conscious Students; Ambitious Students; and City Lovers. The focal points
(avatar, headline, visual content and textual content) of a communication campaign
were identified with the help of marketing master students (12) using the Design Thinking
method.
