Determining student perceptions regarding the most important service features and overall satisfaction with the service quality of a higher education institution

Today, there is a greater focus on worldwide academic excellence and quality of tuition. The industry can be more selective nowadays, because there is a wide range of graduates due to a variety of institutions offering many qualifications of different standards and quality. In order for a higher education institution to be successful and profitable, quality products and services need to be ensured and delivered. It becomes evident that many higher education institutions are ignorant towards the level of service they provide, which implicates the students’ attitudes towards the institution. It is, therefore, important that higher education institutions know what level of service students expect from them. The study aimed to identify the most important service feature of student administration, according to students. A quantitative study was conducted among 200 students at a South African university. The results indicated that students’ perceptions regarding service quality, as well as the overall level of satisfaction of the service are only slightly above average.