Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the needs and aspirations of international students studying at a comprehensive university campus in the USA in comparison to domestic students represented by factors that drive students' college choice. Design/methodology/approach: The study opted for a survey design through questionnaire and employed descriptive and inferential statistics to assess differences between international and domestic students. Findings: Findings suggest that international students are different from domestic students on seven choice factors: on-campus housing, recommendation from family, academic reputation, reputation of faculty, participation in intercollegiate sports, printed material or video and need-based financial aid. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted at a four-year comprehensive public university campus in California. Findings and conclusions may be relevant only to such context. Practical implications: International and domestic students have different preferences and their college choices are affected to different degrees by the varying choice factors. Education administrators and policy makers can have targeted strategic marketing plans that are responsive to the different types populations' needs. Originality/value: This is the first study that compares international students' to domestic students' needs and aspirations when choosing a university campus.