Measuring Service Quality: The Student As Primary Consumer

Abstract

Competition in the educational market is increasing at a rapid rate. With e-education and the increasing globalisation taking place, universities are competing more and more for student numbers. Service quality has become one of those factors that differentiate institutions from one another. As a result, higher education institutions can use service quality as a competitive advantage to ensure that they stay the first choice in the minds of potential students. It is a known fact that many consumers and students will support a product or university based on the level of service they receive. It is for this reason that universities will benefit from research into service quality and the importance that students attach to this.

In this study, student satisfaction towards the quality of the service received was measured in terms of appearance of the higher education’s physical facilities, equipment, staff and communication materials by using the SERVQUAL model. The results may assist higher education institutions to focus on the unknown, yet important elements of the tangibility element in order to improve the students’ overall satisfaction. The results indicated that students’ perception about the tangibility of the service, as well as the overall level of satisfaction of the service received, is slightly above average.