Effect of Competitive Strategies by Religious Sponsored Private Universities on Student Attraction in Kenya

The general objective of this study was to establish the effect of competitive strategies on student attraction by religious sponsored private universities. Specific objectives of the study were To establish the effect of growth, focus, differentiation and cost leadership by religious sponsored private universities on student attraction in Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used in this study. Primary data was collected using semi- structured questionnaires. The target population of this study was religious sponsored private universities in Kenya. The sampling frame was drawn from staff and students of Catholic and Umma universities in Kenya.379 respondents were selected from the two universities using simple random sampling. Questionnaire was used as the research instrument and data collected was presented in the form of frequency distribution, percentage, tables, graphs, pie charts that facilitated description and interpretation of the study findings. The study reveals that religious sponsored private universities engage in a variety of strategies to attract students which include the following lowering fees, aggressive advertisement on TV, newspapers, and radio, having bursary fund to support poor students who cannot afford fees and offering scholarships to those who excel in various activities in the university. It also established that religious sponsored private universities have heavily invested in technology to increase efficiency.