An exploration of important factors in the decision-making process undertaken by foundation degree students with respect to level 6 progression

Abstract

Deciding what degree to study, and where, are very important decisions to make for a range of practical and economic reasons, and much research has been undertaken in this area. What has not been considered previously is the decision making processes of students who have completed an associate degree, such as a Higher National Diploma or Foundation Degree, and are now considering where to complete their Bachelor education. Associate degrees are often provided by further education colleges (FEC) in partnership with universities, and the choices available to collegebased higher education students are whether to continue at the college or move to university. A mixed methods approach was adopted comprising of an online questionnaire and subsequent focus groups of students studying at HE at a southwest FEC. The findings showed that there is equal importance placed on the practical issues of proximity and familiarity as there is on course suitability, with the only differences between those remaining at college and those moving to university being financially based.College-based higher education, higher education in further education, foundation degree, progression, decision-making, top-up degree