Abstract

Higher education sector in Nigeria today is at the forefront of striving for quality in order to attract more students, as well as gaining a sustainable competitive advantage over others due to imminent rise in the number of private universities in the country. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL) encountered by students on sustainability of higher education at Babcock University. Also, the study investigated whether the service quality encountered was satisfactory or not. A cross-sectional study was carried out at Babcock University during 2012/2013 summer class. In this study, a total of 250 students were randomly selected. Two valid and reliable instruments were used for data collection. These instruments were (1) Service Quality Dimensions Inventory (SQDI) adapted from the research done by Pariseau & McDaniel (1997) and Tan, et al (2010); (2) Students’ Academic Satisfaction Scale (SASS) developed by Bhamani (2013). Data analysis was done with descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, t-test and regression analysis. The results showed that the service quality encountered was satisfactory, there was no statistically significant gender difference in service quality encountered and academic satisfaction (t = .973, P< 0.05); while a statistical significant difference was observed based on discipline (t = 1.987, P>0.05). Also, assurance, responsiveness, reliability, tangibles and empathy dimensions of service quality individually contributed significantly to students’ academic satisfaction. This study concluded that quality services at tertiary level are the most important factor to promote academic excellence. Also, this study provides university management with a ‘snapshot’ of service quality and offer suggestions that could be implemented to improve service quality in a competitive educational environment like Nigeria.