The Iterative College Choice Process of Students with Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: Although students with disabilities are enrolling in higher education in larger numbers than ever before, they are still underrepresented in colleges and universities, particularly among four-year institutions. College choice has been explored across multiple facets, but limited research has examined the college choice processes of students with disabilities. Research Questions: (1) What factors are most influential to the successful college choice processes of students with disabilities? (2) To what extent are these factors different from those that influence the choice processes of students without disabilities? (3) How do students describe the influence of key factors on their college choice process? (4) How does the college choice process for students with disabilities vary across institutional types? Setting: This research took place at three public institutions in the state of Massachusetts, one public research university (Research University [RU]) and two regional comprehensive universities (City State University [CSU], Suburban State University [SSU]). Research Design: We utilized a convergent mixed methods study composed of survey research and qualitative interviews. Participants: For the quantitative survey, we recruited students with and students without disabilities by sending invitations to a random sample of 30% of students at RU and all students at CSU and SSU. A total of 1,981 students completed the survey. For the qualitative interviews, we recruited students via a targeted email invitation sent through the disability services office on each campus, resulting in 27 participants. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected through a quantitative survey and a qualitative interview. The survey took approximately 15 minutes and took place over Qualtrics; data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and chi-squared tests. Qualitative data were collected through 60- to 90-minute semistructured interviews and were analyzed through deductive and inductive coding. Conclusions and Recommendations: Our findings revealed that although students with disabilities considered the same factors as their peers without disabilities, they faced additional considerations related to the quality of disability services and accessibility of the campus. We also found that although factors such as family, school, and distance had similar influence across students with disabilities, subtle distinctions emerged in how students approached these categories when they chose a research university versus a regional comprehensive institution. We concluded with recommendations for further research into how disability and institutional type shape college choice and for practices to help students with disabilities in their college search and choice processes.