Antecedents and Consequences of Student Loyalty in Higher Education

Abstract

In the intense competition and financial uncertainty for higher educational institutions, student loyalty is an imperative and most essential factor for their ultimate survival and success. Student loyalty is a crucial measure for the success of institutions that are offering higher education with the sole aim of retaining students until their all educational necessities are met. The motivation of this research paper was lack of literature evidence when the antecedents and the consequences of student loyalty are being scrutinized, all on one single platform. Therefore, through this research paper, an attempt has been made to examine the causing roots that provoke loyalty in a student and to what extent it can be prolonged and at what point student loyalty is achieved completely. This study examined the existence of student loyalty derived from antecedents (perceived value, trust, corporate and brand image, student satisfaction and service quality) and consequences (word of mouth, retention, recommendation and commitment) in the context of higher education in Pakistan. A total of six business schools were selected, the data was collected using survey method. Several recommendations are made to the management of the higher educational institutions to ensure student loyalty among their students.