A survey of 571 prospective students in three Thai provinces applied principal component analysis to 45 variables and extracted five dimensions: financial readiness, institutional support and safety, identity formation, technology and curriculum relevance, and peer guidance.
Key findings
- The five components show that prospective choice extends beyond academic reputation to economic constraints, perceived safety and support, future identity, curricular technology relevance and peers. The structure can inform communication and student services.
Why this matters globally
The dimensionality-reduction approach is replicable across institutions and countries and can reduce redundant recruitment indicators. External validation is required before cross-context comparison.
Thai researcher contribution
The six authors are linked to Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, and the data come from Thai prospective students, making the work directly relevant to regional higher-education management.
Limitations to consider
The sample is tied to a particular program and region, uses prospective self-report and does not observe actual enrollment. PCA is descriptive rather than causal or predictive, and the abstract omits explained variance, item loadings and external validation.