Ranking the Determinants for International Education Destination Decision of Indian Students: Application of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process

Purpose: One of the emerging educational trends is an increase in global mobility of students to pursue higher education. This article attempts at ranking the determinants shaping the Indian students’ decisions in selecting an appropriate global destination. Method: The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, researchers conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to find the factors shaping Indian students’ decision-making process. During the second stage, fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) method based on triangular fuzzy numbers was applied to rank the above factors. Findings: The findings reveal four primary factors, which have been ranked in the following order—quality of education, overall cost, environment and human interface and influencers’ role. Limitations: Most of the sample respondents were from the management discipline, drawn from six Indian states. Implications: The findings will be beneficial for both academic institutions and policymakers of host countries in shaping appropriate marketing mix including branding strategies for developing countries like India. Indian policymakers can use it for further augmenting the ecosystem for higher education. Originality: Globally, several researchers have identified the factors that influence the decisions of students in pursuing international education. However, the novelty of this research is that it is a first attempt in investigating and ranking of these factors using FAHP approach, especially in an Indian context.