Although personal values are considered the critical psychological factor influencing individuals’ motivation, behavior, and preferences, their role in influencing international students’ university selection criteria has been largely overlooked. To fill this gap, 47 international students at a private Southwest university in the United States were interviewed and analyzed through the Means-End Chain (MEC) approach. The Hierarchical Value Model shows that achievement, self-direction (thought and action), security (personal and societal), and hedonistic values were the most important values influencing their choices. By adopting the MEC approach, this study contributes to education psychology literature by highlighting the importance of personal values in determining international students’ university selection criteria. © 2024 Society for Research into Higher Education.
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