A different ‘feel’, a different will: Institutional habitus and the choice of higher educational institutions in Hong Kong

•Three major themes of institutional habitus are institutional infrastructure, institutional prestige, and institutional culture.•General reputation of the institution and individual programme’s prestige matter most in students’ choices.•An institution’s infrastructures and facilities shape choices and expectation for a university life of students, particularly high-SES ones.•Institutional culture constituted by the traditions and rituals would make students self-eliminated from choosing.•Students’ experiences with institutional habitus of higher educational institutions comprise direct and indirect ones. This study examined students’ choice of higher educational institutions in Hong Kong, an educational system characterised by a huge expansion and greater differentiation since 2000. Drawing on semi-structured interview data from a longitudinal study and with a detailed classification of higher educational institutions and transition pathways taken by Hong Kong students, we found that the concept of ‘institutional habitus’ of higher educational institution manifested itself in three forms: infrastructure, prestige, and culture; and they had shaped the higher educational decisions of students from different socio-economic backgrounds. Moreover, students’ educational choices reflect an alignment between institutional and individual habituses. Implications on higher education policy are discussed.