Higher education service quality and student satisfaction, institutional image, and behavioral intention

Our aim in this study was to propose an integrated model to examine the structural relationships among a higher education institution’s service quality, student satisfaction, institutional image, and behavioral intention at a private university located in South Korea. We conducted a survey of students majoring in business to analyze these relationships. Structural equation modeling showed that students were satisfied with various aspects (tangibles, reliabilities, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance) of service quality. Also, service quality directly affected both student satisfaction and perceived institutional image. In addition, the results indicated that students’ perceived institutional image and satisfaction directly influenced behavioral intention. Although perceived service quality was not a significant construct to predict behavioral intention of students, our results showed a mediating effect of perceived institutional image and student satisfaction on the relationship between service quality and behavioral intention.