Factors Determining Student Choice in Accommodation - Essay Example

Various studies have been conducted to investigate the factors that determine students’ satisfaction with accommodation. One study conducted in Nigeria by Dolapo Amole used a sample of 1124 students in four universities located in southeast Nigeria. Many students (more than 53%). The social qualities of the residences including the kitchenette, storage facilities, and bathrooms determine student choice in accommodation based on these findings. Another study conducted by Fatemeh Khozaei et al (2010) in the Universiti Sains Malaysia was done to predict the factors guiding student satisfaction with university hostels.

Undergraduate students were used for the study. The study sample of 228 students comprising of 220 females and 68 males came up with the findings that major factors that influenced student satisfaction are the proximity to university facilities, room size, room safety, hostel security, and the nature of hostel facilities. In this study, one hostel called Cahaya Gemilang was found to be the most preferred due to its strategic location and close proximity to lecture halls, and the presence of noteworthy network connectivity.

From these studies, it is clear that visual factors like room size, nature of facilities, and proximity to university facilities are factors determining student choice in accommodation. Price also comes into play since extremely expensive hostels will only attract few students, but fairly cheap hostels will be dominated by students.