BRANDING INITIATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A STUDY ON SOME SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The study aims to examine the branding initiatives and strategies employed by higher education institutions in Bangladesh. This study has considered twenty renowned universities as the study area. The data collection process involved surveying 385, including current university students, besides gathering input from teachers and university officials. In this study quantitative analysis is used to identify the impact of branding initiatives on higher education. Exploratory factor analysis is utilized to identify pertinent branding factors with statistical significance. Subsequently, multiple regression models are applied to establish the connections between these branding factors and their impact on university admission. The findings of the study reveal five major variables: branding quality education, strong brand image, branding learning environment, branding student’s facilities, and university branding tools. The results from the multiple regression analysis highlight the major impact of four key variables on student admission decisions. Specifically, branding quality education, strong brand image, branding learning environment and university branding activities all demonstrate a positive influence on student admissions. This highlights the role of university branding in attracting potential students and increasing the possibility of their enrollment. Based on these findings, this study recommends cumulative efforts from both public and private universities to leverage branding strategies aimed at influencing prospective students' enrollment decisions. Such efforts include emphasizing the delivery of quality education, recruiting high-caliber faculty, adhering to international curriculum standards, establishing affiliations with other universities, achieving international rankings with a strong reputation, ensuring adequate media exposure, and more. Both new and established universities can benefit from implementing comprehensive university branding initiatives that positively impact student enrollment.