A Best-Practice Model of University-Students Relationship Development: An Empirical Study

A university-student relationship has been viewed as a key to the success and continuity of private universities. Although keeping students loyal is a critical objective of relationship marketing, there is a limited theoretical and practical knowledge on which antecedents could be used to achieve this aim. The essence of this research is the development of a more comprehensive model of university-student relationship that could reflect a best practice, on the basis of a review of the literature, and the empirical investigation of this model by using a mixed method of qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (surveys) approach. By sampling students in one private Jordanian university, results reveal that relationship strength and students' satisfaction can impact students' loyalty towards their universities. In addition, three relational bonds (financial, social and structural) can influence students' satisfaction. Finally, the study indicates academic and in-practice implications within the education sector, and suggests some future research guidelines.