Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover and examine the reasons why undergraduate prospective students who were accepted into degree programs at La Sierra University chose not to enroll (no shows). Factors which influenced no shows' decisions to apply to but not enroll at La Sierra University, as well as factors which influenced their decisions to enroll at other institutions were investigated. These factors were considered to determine if a relationship existed between no shows' enrollment decisions and selected demographics, academic variables, and frequency of university contacts with no shows.

Study design: A descriptive, correlational study design was used. A questionnaire was administered to degree seeking undergraduate no shows. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical tests, analysis of variance, correlation matrices, and the Chi-square test.

Findings: Following are differences found in study survey groups: (1) male and female reasons for not enrolling with respect to "small size of student body"; (2) Seventh-day Adventist and non-Seventh-day Adventist applicants' reasons for not enrolling with respect to campus "conservative Christian lifestyle"; (3) Caucasian and non-Caucasian applicants' reasons for not enrolling with respect to "tuition costs"; and (4) the number of university contacts experienced with respect to no shows selecting "conservative Christian lifestyle" as a reason for not enrolling.

Conclusions: It was concluded that: (1) no shows perceived the cost of education to be unacceptably high; (2) no shows tended to have high grade point averages; (3) Seventh-day Adventist no shows had negative perceptions concerning campus conservative Christian lifestyle; (4) no shows perceived the selection of majors, the academic reputation, and the availability of degree programs at La Sierra University to be competitive; and (5) of Seventh-day Adventist no shows, most enrolled at non-Seventh-day Adventist institutions.

Recommendations: It is recommended that: (1) efforts be made to provide prospective students with comprehensive information that will communicate accurately and effectively the institution's image, financial options, campus lifestyle, faculty commitment to student success, curriculums, benefits, services, and library resources to guide the prospective student to enroll at La Sierra University; and (2) studies be conducted to determine how the academic and spiritual atmosphere of La Sierra University is perceived and how these perceptions influence enrollment decisions.