Relation-oriented Marketing in Higher Education: Factors Affecting Student's Satisfaction and Loyalty to the University

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting students' satisfaction and loyalty to the university.

The statistical population consisted of 315 loyal students and graduates of Yazd University who were selected by stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, and its content validity, criterion validity and also its construct validity and its reliability (0.94) were evaluated and confirmed.

The results of factor analysis indicated that 46% of the variance of university satisfaction and loyalty to it was explained by three factors (extracted from eight factors): satisfaction with professors and educational status, satisfaction with university facilities and services, and satisfaction with university management policies. Also, the results of t-test showed that the average of being satisfied about six factors in girls was higher than boys and the average of being satisfied in post graduate students was significantly higher than graduates in one factor.   

In general, the satisfaction of graduate students and graduates of Yazd University from educational, research and welfare services was in a medium level and about the management services it was in a low level.