Assessment of Differences in Perceptions of Consumers of Educational Services about the Image of Universities

The purpose of the study is to quantify the level of divergence (similarity) of perceptions of potential consumers of educational services regarding the image of universities in order to strengthen their competitive position in the market of educational services. Within the terms of this purpose, the authors were given the following tasks: to assess the level of differences in the perception of the image of the university by consumers of educational services; to identify the sources of formation of their ideas about the quality of educational services. The article solves the problem of forming a positive image of universities in Ukraine in the context of determining its components, which, according to the results of a survey of students, had the most significant impact on the choice of a higher education institution (HEI), as well as determining the level of divergence of the criteria for its choice by consumers of educational services. An assessment of the image of higher educational institutions in the city of Kyiv is carried out according to the totality of external and internal local components, making it possible to identify the main priorities for choosing a future consumer of educational services. It is determined that the main components of the image when students make a decision to enter one or another from the studied higher education institution are: scientific cooperation with foreign higher education institutions; international partnerships; the scale of educational activities; infrastructure of the university. Based on the results of the study, matrices of perception of the image of universities have been developed and distances between them have been determined, which allow to identify the level of divergence of perceptions of consumers of educational services about the image of universities. Distinctive features of the obtained results are that they allow to determine how the perceptions of consumers of educational services change in the process of obtaining them in the studied universities, also to allocate those components of the image that should be given the greatest attention by HEIs in the process of forming a further strategy for attracting and retaining consumers of basic services. The sphere of practical use of the obtained results is the system of public administration bodies in the field of higher education, management bodies of higher education institutions.