Country Image Perception on Tertiary Education: A Pilot Study

Abstract

To be competitive in this global economy, studying overseas to enhance knowledge and skills is crucial. In fact, choosing which country to go to pursue a degree overseas is a major question for prospective students. Being part of the service industry and being abroad makes overseas higher education difficult to evaluate. This study was designed to analyze how students perceive higher education in ten different countries based on the concept of country image. Further, this study involved early semester students at one international university in Jakarta where they attended school abroad during their last semester. The perceptions of country image from these prospective students will be presented. While the sample was relatively small, the findings can be useful input into developing marketing plans to approach prospective students in Indonesia. Keywords: Country Image, Tertiary Education, Jakarta