Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Allison Kaminaga
Keywords
Female Enrollment; New England Institutions; Business
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
This study investigates women's underrepresentation and the declining enrollment trend in undergraduate business programs by examining New England schools between 2015-2017. The study uses a linear regression model, testing a variety of variables including student characteristics and outcomes, college characteristics, funding and faculty, and women-related experiences measured against the dependent variable of percentage of women enrolled. The study found that (1) the presence of a women's center increases women enrollment; (2) the greater diversity representation on campus increases women enrollment; (3) women are more attracted to private universities and are less likely to attend with an increase in the undergraduate class size; (4) the average loan size and average earnings potential post-graduation will cause an inverse relationship with women enrollment. This study also explores the implications and opportunities Bryant University could capitalize on to further address the trend and position themselves to remain successful and prosperous for prospective women
