Service Quality and Student Satisfaction in Higher Education: Evidence from a Public University in Zambia

Mwila Kunda, Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali, Regina Muduli and Lenty Muchape
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Mwila Kunda: Kwame Nkrumah University
Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali: Kwame Nkrumah University
Regina Muduli: Kwame Nkrumah University
Lenty Muchape: Kwame Nkrumah University

African Journal of Commercial Studies, 2026, vol. 7, issue 4

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between service quality and student satisfaction in higher education, using evidence from a public university in Zambia. Guided by the SERVQUAL Model, the study focused on five dimensions of service quality: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. A quantitative descriptive research design was adopted. The target population comprised 9,000 registered full-time undergraduate students, from which a sample of 200 respondents was selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The findings revealed that reliability, responsiveness and tangibility had statistically significant positive effects on student satisfaction, while assurance and empathy did not demonstrate significant independent effects. Reliability emerged as the strongest predictor of student satisfaction (β = .345, p

Keywords: Service Quality; Student Satisfaction; Higher Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I23 M31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwk:ajocsl:2026-063

DOI: 10.59413/ajocs/v7.i4.30

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