How Service Quality Shapes Satisfaction, Institutional Image, and Loyalty among Postgraduate Students
Keywords:
SERVQUAL, higher education, partial least squares, relationship marketing, IndonesiaAbstract
Higher education institutions increasingly depend on service quality to sustain student relationships, strengthen institutional reputation, and encourage positive post-study behavior. This study examines how the five SERVQUAL dimensions - tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy - shape student satisfaction and how satisfaction subsequently influences institutional image and student loyalty. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 275 active postgraduate students at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Jakarta. Respondents were selected proportionally from six master and doctoral programs, and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. All measurement constructs demonstrated satisfactory indicator reliability, convergent validity, internal consistency, and discriminant validity. The structural results show that all five service-quality dimensions positively and significantly affect student satisfaction. Responsiveness produced the strongest effect (beta = 0.299), followed by tangibles (beta = 0.264), empathy (beta = 0.216), reliability (beta = 0.210), and assurance (beta = 0.162). Student satisfaction strongly improved institutional image (beta = 0.599) and directly increased loyalty (beta = 0.409), while institutional image also strengthened loyalty (beta = 0.403). The findings position responsive service and student experience as central mechanisms for building reputation and long-term relationships in postgraduate education.References
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