Modeling the enrollment demand of masters programs for the Spanish public university system

Recent studies have suggested that a causal link exists between the reputation of the institution and the subsequent demand indicators. However, it is unclear how these effects vary across institutional characteristics or whether these effects persist when considering other factors that affects demand outcomes. On the other hand, student demand studies have almost always focused on the demand side of the equilibrium but not the supply side, although both demand and supply equations relate quantity to price. Although the supply is clearly a driver of demand, there are other variables that significantly influence the demand rates. Spanish public university system shows particular features not considered in the mentioned studies. This paper has two objectives. The first one is to modelize the demand for Masters Programs in the Spanish public university system. We propose a panel methodology to estimate the behavior of the demand of Masters Programs based on the data provided by the seventeen Spanish Autonomous Communities. Disaggregated analysis are presented for domestic demand and international demand. We conclude that the offer is a powerful attractor of demand for domestic and international students, and therefore actions of supply reduction should be carefully applied and always according to strategic university policy criteria. The second aim of the article is to analyze the Masters Programs in the Spanish public university system and to provide a benchmark of the current situation of supply (number of programs) and demand (enrollment) at regional level (Spanish Autonomous Communities) and in relation to European scenarios. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.