University application process: decision support models

Abstract

After a study made in Portugal it was possible conclude that 5 months before application date, 51 % of the students did not know concretely which course to select at University. Meanwhile, 25% of the students attending Portuguese Public Higher Education has changed or ever thought of changing their course. In order to support the university application process it was designed a solution based in decision models. This solution will identify for a user what are the best alternatives to apply for. Decision models consider variables from various contexts (e.g. social, economic, personal, and psychological). These variables were defined according to scientific studies or in real facts. The generated model contemplates the introduction of a weighting system for these variables that can be set by the user, being the model able to adapt to the intrinsic characteristics of each student. As result it is always presented a set of possible choices adequate to the student profile.