Evaluating the effect of the adoption of English as the default language on a homepage for a university in a non-English speaking university

This paper presents an exploratory study using survey data collected at two universities in South Korea and China to analyze students’ opinions when a university in a non-English speaking country adopts English as the default language of its Web site homepage. The results show that Chinese students and non-Chinese Asian students have similar opinions toward this university promotion strategy, which makes the institution more attractive to prospective students, enhances the university’s image, and increases their willingness to apply. These findings suggest that in a highly competitive higher education market, a higher education institution in a non-English speaking country may employ English as its homepage default language to enhance student’s evaluation of it.