Empirical evidence on the impact of tuition fees on students’ satisfaction, value, service quality and recommendation

Abstract

More than ever before, HEIs are under pressure to compete for students and provide quality educational experiences and value for money as a result of government funding cuts in HE and the increase in student tuition fees. Universities in England can now charge up to £9000 per year for their courses. The present paper is a first attempt to examine the impact of the increase in tuition fees on students’ evaluations of value, service quality, satisfaction and recommendation. To this end, quantitative research using a sample of 365 students at one UK University was undertaken. The study observed statistically significant differences in evaluations of overall value perceptions and the component of exchange value. The increase in tuition fees did not impact students’ perceptions of service quality and satisfaction. Finally, the paper highlights other important findings and discusses some implications for HEIs.