Title: Determinants of study abroad decisions among Indian students: a PLS approach

Authors: Kavitha Haldorai; Souji Gopalakrishna Pillai; Ketrina Kazako

Addresses: School of Business and Management, Linton University College, KTG Education Group, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia ' School of Hospitality and Tourism, HELP University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ' Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Lilongwe, Malawi

Abstract: In spite of the growing number of universities, the Indian students opt to go abroad for higher education. The objective of this study is to determine the pre-decision factors that motivate Indian students to seek education outside India. A total sample of 210 students was used in this study. A questionnaire with 29 items was used to collect the data through online survey. The data were analysed using SmartPLS due to the formative nature of the indicators. The findings reveal that scholarship, social media, institutional factors, country image, program structure and personal factors influenced the students' choice of destination. Cost did not play a significant role despite the falling rupee value. The findings not only lead to better understanding on Indian students, but also help the policy makers to understand the needs of Indian students. It also suggests the factors that the host countries and their educational institutions need to consider to attract Indian students.

Keywords: Indian students; study abroad; scholarship; social media; program structure; institutional factors; country image; cost; personal factors; India; PLS; partial least squares; higher education; motivation; destination choice.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2017.080642

International Journal of Management in Education, 2017 Vol.11 No.1, pp.1 - 24

Received: 11 Nov 2015
Accepted: 24 Feb 2016
Published online: 01 Dec 2016 *

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