Exploring Students' Satisfaction and Loyalty in Private Universities, Malaysia

Abstract

This study aims to examine and analyze the effect of students’ satisfaction and loyalty at private universities in Malaysia. Students’ trust and commitment are perceived to be the positive and significant impact on the students’ satisfaction and loyalty to these private universities. The objective of this research was to identify the nature and significance of the relationship from student satisfaction that leads to student loyalty. The study was to determine the dimensions of student satisfaction and loyalty and assess the extent to which student satisfaction mediates the relationship of student loyalty. ANOVA and Regression Coefficient Analysis were applied to the research hypotheses to ascertain the influence of the student satisfaction dimension on student loyalty. The variables are highly connected to satisfaction and loyalty.  Further findings revealed that a statistically significant relationship existed between student satisfaction and student loyalty.  A test of the mediated relationship confirmed that the relationship of student loyalty was partially mediated by student satisfaction, an observation that adds to existing literature by uncovering the mediating effect of student satisfaction on the student loyalty at private universities in Malaysia. This will be useful to universities and the government in planning and providing education infrastructure to attract more foreign students to study in Malaysia.