Critical Factors in Service Quality Measurement for Private Universities: The Case of Bangladesh

Private universities are a fast growing value-based education industry in Bangladesh. The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh and relevant stakeholders are particularly concerned about the infrastructure and quality of education in the private and public universities of Bangladesh. This paper undertakes an empirical examination of the factors determining the quality of services in the private universities of Bangladesh. Dimensions of SERVQUAL, country image and price are examined. Data are collected using the random sampling technique. A total of fourteen factors in three dimensions namely reliability, responsiveness, and competence have been extracted from fifty-two factors under twelve dimensions using the factor analysis method. The major conclusion of this study is that private universities should have proper infrastructure, proficient faculty members and competent staff. This study aims to measure and maintain the service quality factors, and contributes to further innovations in services quality especially for the value-based higher education sector.