An Assessment of the Service Quality Provided to Foreign Students at U.S. Business Schools

Abstract

College and university educators have begun to think of themselves as service providers and students as service customers. As such, administrators are beginning to question what influences students' perceptions of service quality. This study focused on international students in U.S. business schools and examined factors that influence their service quality perceptions. Results from a national sample of 282 foreign students attending 25 different educational institutions suggest that U.S. business school service quality is rated quite highly by foreign students. Notably, several key service quality dimensions were particularly critical to students' overall perceptions of service quality. Implications and recommendations for business educators are provided.