ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES USING A MODIFIED SERVQUAL SCALE

The purpose of the study is to assess the service quality in high publiceducation in Albania, using the SERVQUAL approach. Today Albanian public universitiesare facing fierce competition from private universities, so they find imperative focusingfirmly on service quality they offer to students. The paper reports on a modifiedSERVQUAL survey of students from five public universities in Albania. The survey aims tocapture the perceptions and expectations students have about the service they receive inrespective universities, leading to an evaluation of overall perceived service quality basedon gap analysis.The data analysis reveals interesting findings on students‘ perceptions of service quality inhigh education. The universities‘ management would benefit from these findings byknowing which gap should receive the most attention in order to gain competitiveadvantage. An improved service quality will also help them to face the competition fromother high education institutions. The study confirms the SERVQUAL scale as a suitabletool in assessing service quality in public sector, holding the same strengths as in privatesector. The continuous measurement of service quality in universities will help in engagingin a continuous improvement of this quality, creating a good basis for achieving higherobjectives. Service quality measurement will also help in creating a market-orientation forpublic universities, focusing more on the student as a customer.