University Reputation, Brand Attachment and Brand Personality as Antecedents of Student Loyalty: A Study in Higher Education Context

The current study develops and tests a model taking into consideration constructs including university reputation, university brand attachment and university brand personality, and investigates how these university brand components translate into student loyalty in the context of higher education. While analysing causal relationships, the study also considers the effects of moderating variables like age, gender, seniority and scholarship assistance, and also the mediating effects of satisfaction between university reputation and university brand personality on student loyalty. In the empirical analysis, it was found that university reputation had both direct and indirect effects through satisfaction on student-loyalty behaviour. Students' age, seniority and provision of financial assistance in the form of scholarships were found to be affecting satisfaction-loyalty relationships to various degrees. The study utilised a sample of higher education students enroled in various programmes in a large private Indian university. Findings and relevant implications in theory and practice are also discussed.