A comparison of the college selection process for international and domestic student-athletes at NCAA Division I universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to uncover the most important factors in the college selection process for international student-athletes attending NCAA Division I universities in the United States and to compare those factors with ones indicated by domestic student-athletes. A sample of 355 student-athletes, including 192 internationals, from 15 NCAA Division I schools were surveyed using a 39-item questionnaire. Among individual scale items, international student-athletes rated amount of athletic scholarship and personality of the head coach as the two most important items, while domestic student-athletes rated a degree from the school leading to a good job and the overall reputation of the school as the two top items. A factor analysis was utilized to reduce the 39 items to five factors, which explained nearly 50% of the variance in the college selection process. International student-athletes rated school attributes significantly lower than domestic student-athletes. Also, female student-athletes, regardless of residency status, rated academic factors significantly higher than males. Meanwhile, males rated athletics experience factors significantly higher than females.