University Student Satisfaction: An Empirical Analysis

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to gain an empirical understanding of students' overall satisfaction with their academic university experiences. A hierarchal model is used as a framework for this analysis. Fifteen hypotheses are formulated and tested, in order to identify the dimensions of service quality as perceived by university students, to examine students' overall satisfaction with influential factors such as tuition fees (price) and university image, and to determine the impact of students' overall satisfaction on favourable future behavioural intentions. Students' perceptions of these constructs are compared using demographic factors such as gender, age, and ethnicity. Statistical support is found for the use of a hierarchical model, three primary dimensions, and ten sub-dimensions. In addition, the results support a relationship between service quality and price; service quality, image, and satisfaction; and satisfaction and favourable future behavioual intentions. However, there is no statistical support for a relationship between price and satisfaction. The results also suggest that students' perceptions of the constructs are primarily influenced by their ethnicity and year of study. The results of this analysis contribute to the service marketing theory by providing empirically–based insight into satisfaction and service quality constructs in the higher education sector. This study will assist higher education management developing and implementing a market-oriented service strategy, in order to achieve a high quality of service, enhance students' level of satisfaction and create favourable future behavioural intentions. 1 1. Missing At Random (MAR) is a condition which exists when missing values are not randomly distributed across all observations but are randomly distributed within one or more sub-samples.