Choose it or Lose it? Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPS) As University Selection

Malaysia practices a dualistic tertiary education system by permitting participation from both Public and Private Higher Education. However, higher education institutions have a lot to take care of their students like many successful corporations look out their customers. At the same time, educational institutions need to maintain their position as information facilities and educational standards which involve both social and economic integrity. In this paper, we specifically address the factors attracting students to enrol in a private university which was a study in Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPS). Several factors such as programs, facilities and location, and peers and family are emphasized in this study. It is to foresee the university choice decision among students. The results of this study revealed the significant relationship between those independent and dependent variables. Thus, this study proved the linkage of variables with the research framework at the end of this study.


Introduction
Education is the most important or basic requirement to further our living plans.Thus, education also plays as a ticket for every level starting from school, college and then university.Furthermore, education become one of the industries that compiles a talented pool such as trainers, teachers, lecturers, professors and so on and potential countries' developers which was students.Recently, many educational institutions established in developing countries.One of them was Malaysia.However, this research emphasizes on higher education and looks at the factors of attracting student to enrol in a university (Phan, 2022;Nuseir, 2021;Oo et al., 2018).

Public Universities in Malaysia
Public universities can be divided into five research universities, 11 comprehensive universities and four specialised technical universities (MTUN).The five public universities that have been designated as research universities are Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).USM has also been awarded Apex university status.The four universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) are UTHM, UTeM, UMP and UniMAP.

Statistics of Students Entering Public Universities
Public universities had potential to enhance around 70% income towards our country.This was proved by Mardhiah (2022) stated that private education contributed to Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) RM 31.5 billion.Thus, this showed that both private higher education and public higher education give impact to economy and social productivity.Based on Study Malaysia (2022), the achievements of private sector in the last two decades have been governed by the Private Higher Educational Institution Act 1996 (Act 555).The Act was described by the then Minister of Education as a "great milestone in the history of higher education in Malaysia" and part of a "major educational reform" that had never been undertaken by the government until that date.Liberalisation policies on higher education made it important to have more transparency and flexibility in the policies and regulations underlying and connected with the Act.This would support the competitiveness and quality of private higher educational institutions and bring them on par with those of developed countries.
Besides, according data by Department of Statistics Malaysia (2019), candidates that interested to further their studies and get job was only 170,000.The others candidates around 390,000 (72.1%) were not interested in pursuing higher education.Their perspective emphasized on living as a freelancer.They preferred on making a living as social media influencers, e-hailing car drivers, or food delivery riders, which give the impression of freedom and guaranteed high pay without college or university certificates.This situation has opened opportunities for private universities to aggressively market themselves by offering soft courses that would not only be attractive to the younger generation, but also guarantee excellent results and fulfil industry needs.

Comparison Between Private Universities and Public Universities
Potential customers in education industry or it was called students usually doing a comparison between public and private university can be a real challenge.Majority assumed private universities provide customize education.On the other hand, public universities were assumed as more affordable regarding to the fees.
Generally, tuition fee of public universities is cheaper than private universities in Malaysia.This is because, government subsidises support on tuition fees in order to aid students, especially from lower-income families in gaining a higher education.On average, public universities' tuition fees cost around RM6,500 a year.The total cost is RM 19,500 for a 3-year course 1.Since private universities are not controlled or subsidised by the government, tuition fees are usually higher in comparison (UNITAR, 2022).However, private universities gave flexibility for the students to choose their programme.The programme preferred by students still need to fulfill the minimum requirement but students were not rejected if the cohort applied were excessive.In public universities, students' application was filtered by a system called the "Unit Pengambilan Universiti" (UPU).The system assisted the hassle of managing application from students in multiple public universities for different degree courses.

Significance of the Study
Numerous past researches proved programs, facilities and location, and peers and family have relationship with university selection.However, this study emphasized on Kolej University Islam Perlis (KUIPs) students' enrolment.This is because this study would assist Marketing Department of KUIPs to enhance their promotion to public and potential students.In addition, this study was carried out to support literature reviews with adaptation study in KUIPs.In addition, this study aimed to propose a framework regarding the relationship between indicators of university selection towards students enrol in Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs).

Literature Review
Enrollment of students in private higher education institutions has always been a significant factor to be recognised.As a private university, such institutions do not typically receive state or federal funding, as do public universities.As a result, ensuring sustainability is dependent on the number of students.In turn, tuition can be twice as high or higher than at public institutions.For this reasons, various efforts and strategies must be devised in order to increase student enrollment.Understanding the factors influencing student enrollment in higher education allows the university to devise an appropriate strategy.
Private universities are facing increased competition for students as the number of private higher education institutions in the country grows.These institutions are under increasing pressure to demonstrate efficiency, accountability, and internationalisation. Private institutions in the country have traditionally been self-funded by charging fees to registered students.The fees are used to source capital while also ensuring a return on investment.As a result, this concept has created a significant barrier to maintaining quality in education, profitability, and high-quality facilities and services.Furthermore, courses available to students may be limited to programmes that do not necessitate extensive resources.

Program as Factors of University Selection
A private university is a business that provides services to its customers.Teaching, tutorials, laboratories, teaching and research through majors and courses are among the services provided.Courses are divided according to the faculty or school that specialises in those areas, which includes professors, senior lecturers, and teaching assistants.In comparison to public universities, the courses offered at private institution are limited.Students have few options for courses of study, including postgraduate programmes.
Aside from opportunities after graduation, financial consideration, and migration, Oo et al (2018) highlight programme entry requirements and programme duration as other factors.It is critical for universities and colleges to provide various work and networking opportunities for students through school-industry connections as a career path (Chatfield et al., 2013).According to Nuseir (2021), academic reputation, grants, and funding to pursue programmes offered are all factors in making a decision to study.
In addition, some factors, such as academic overload, time management, available materials, and financial problems, may be a major impediment to potential students' ability to study effectively (Joyce et al, 2017).Admission fees show a significant difference, with a business degree costing 6.8 times more in private institutions than in public, and engineering and law degrees costing 7 and 9.2 times more in private institutions, respectively (Cheong and Narayanan, 2020).

Facilities and Location as Factors of University Selection
A decision to attend university has become increasingly complex in recent years as higher education has evolved in a variety of ways.Other than students, higher education institutions participate in order to become more competitive in student recruitment over time.Facilities, location, and proximity to key business areas are essential for higher education institutions to attract prospective students.
For international students, challenges such as language difficulties, dietary restrictions, housing difficulties, and financial difficulties may be obvious issues that they must address before enrolling in a university.Chatfield et al (2013) identify college selection factors among students from various backgrounds and countries.International students valued facilities more than in-state students, such as the wellness centre and recreational facilities, the student health centre, the cafeteria, the quality of the library, and the student union.Phan (2022) backs this statement up with transnational experiences and practical concerns such as environmental factors and language development.Similarly, in the UAE, students choose universities based on location and proximity, as well as the facilities and services offered by the institutions (Nuseir, 2021).

Peers and Family as Factors of University Selection
When it comes to going to college or university, parents are the ones who are most concerned about how good the institutions will be.Distance from home, facilities, reputation, and other factors are all taken into account.The student's study will be determined by the choices they make over the next three or four years.As a result, students frequently seek advice from superiors.Parents may prefer university because of the institution's reputation, familiarity, and track record of employability, particularly at the undergraduate level.A study by Phan (2022) demonstrates the interrelationship between family and friends for university choices, as decision making processes to choose the university to pursue are influenced by family situations, financial plans, friends, and direct networks.
A study discovered a link between family background and students' perceptions of the institutions they were about to attend.For example, students from large cities and capitals have been exposed to more developed infrastructure and a more diverse environment, which has resulted in different perceptions.As a result, some students chose a university based on its reputation, while others prefer the quality of education it will provide (Momunalieva et al., 2020).International students on the other hand, frequently seek advice or references from former students who are alumni (Chatfield et al., 2013).

Methodology
This study employed a quantitative method.The data was collected through online survey.There are around 230 students involved as respondents in this study.Besides, the respondents represented students from four faculties which were Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Faculty of Muamalat and Islamic Banking, Faculty of Al-Quran and As-Sunnah and Faculty of Islamic Studies.
Then, several analyses were employed in this study such as reliability analysis, correlation coefficient analysis and regression analysis.The results were analysed with the assistance of the software program SPSS version 25.The software works for interpreting significant relationship of variables.

Findings
This study emphasized on three analyses involving reliability analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis.

Reliability Analysis
The reliability analysis of this study showed the most significant value of Cronbach Alpha of independent variables which were facilities and location (0.745), programs (0.548), peers and family (0.813) and university selection as dependent variable (0.827).

Correlation Analysis
The correlation analysis of this study proved such correlation between all independent variables towards dependent variables as in Table 5.The significant value of facilities and location, programs and peers and family was 0.000.

Regression Analysis
The regression analysis of this study explained by Table 6 and Table 7. Table 6 showed that 54.5% total variable of university selection was explain by the three independent variables which were facilities and location, programs, and peers and family.Whereas, Table 7 explained that through model 3, all independent variables have relationship towards university selection.However, the most significant relationship was programs at beta 0.352.

Conclusion and Discussion
This study focused on factors attracting students to enrol in Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis.Therefore, the results of the study suggested research framework for this study as in Figure 1.There was significant relationship between three independents variables of IV1: programs, IV2: facilities and locations and IV3: peers and family towards students enrol in Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPS).

Figure
Figure 1: Research Framework

Table 6
Model Summary