Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to describe the people and factors that influenced new students’ decisions to attend the colleges of agriculture at two Midwestern land grant universities. Athletics was identified as the most common pre-collegiate activity. Students identified their parent as the most influential person in selecting their college. The top factor which influenced students' college decision was pursuing a career that interested them. The findings from this study can guide recruitment efforts at land-grant universities by allowing institutions to be more intentional with their recruitment efforts. Future research needs to be conducted to determine the timing of students’ decisions and if students persist at a university based on the factors that influenced them to attend.

Keywords: college decision, student factors of influence.