Expectations versus Realities of Higher Education: Gap Analysis and University Service Examination

The university education providers are waking to student recruitment challenges, competition, and the realities of marketing. With these changes, a related and equally important issue has emerged; that is, the student service quality and evaluating of the educational encounter. Using university services as the primary study setting, the study explores the concept of university services quality and its evaluation from both the university provider and student perspectives. Gap analysis is used as an appropriate approach for examining the similarities and differences in expectations of the university services. The findings, based on a survey of 712 responses, provide special empirical insights on the gaps that can arise from inconsistent perceptions of expectations and experiences between the students and the university. Finally, implications for university administration, marketing and research are presented.