From Quality Management to Student Loyalty: A Path Analysis of Value, Trust, Satisfaction, and Commitment in a PACUCOA-Accredited Philippine College
Keywords:
accreditation, quality management, perceived value, trust, student satisfaction, commitment, student loyalty, PACUCOA-accredited programsAbstract
This study explores how five areas of quality management instructor quality, curriculum quality, social environment quality, physical environment quality, and administrative quality relate to students’ feelings of value, trust, satisfaction, commitment, and loyalty. The research was carried out at a PACUCOA accredited private university in Davao City, Philippines, with 531 student respondents. Using multivariate path analysis, the study tested a model of direct and indirect relationships among these factors. Results indicated that curriculum quality and social environment quality significantly shaped perceived value. Physical environment quality and administrative quality significantly predicted institutional trust. Perceived value and trust then significantly influenced student satisfaction. Both satisfaction and trust significantly affected commitment. Finally, commitment, satisfaction, and perceived value were significant predictors of loyalty, while trust had only a marginal direct effect on loyalty. Indirect effects showed that quality management indicators shape loyalty through the pathways of value, trust, satisfaction, and commitment. These findings suggest that within the Philippine accreditation setting, focused improvements in curriculum and social environment, alongside infrastructure and administrative systems that build trust, are key strategies for strengthening student loyalty. The study offers practical guidance for strategic planning in newer accredited colleges and helps address the lack of empirical evidence on how quality management linked to accreditation influences student loyalty outcomes.
Downloads
References
Agustin, J., & Genuba, R. (2025). A causal model on students’ satisfaction in relation to teachers’ professional skills, students’ transactional distance and readiness for online learning. International Peer Reviewed Journal, 9(10), 90–120.
Albayda, M. R. (2025). Service quality of private higher educational institutions in Kabankalan City as a determinant of student retention. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3(8), 331–344.
Albornoz-Toyohama, R. H., Mendigure-Hachircana, R., Haro-Casildo, S., & Abanto-Ramírez, C. D. (2025, March). Factors influencing student retention university students: An analysis of institutional reputation, social responsibility and loyalty. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 10, p. 1499518). Frontiers Media SA.
Amado, M., Guzmán, A., & Juarez, F. (2023). Relationship between perceived value, student experience, and university reputation: Structural equation modeling. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1–13.
Aquino, J. M. D. R. (2025). Best practices of high performing higher education institutions in the Philippines towards the development of harmonized quality-assured instructional leadership framework. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 10, p. 1663289). Frontiers.
Balanon, A. (2025, September 4). EDCOM II: High college dropout rate persists despite free tuition. The Lance. https://thelance.letran.edu.ph/Home/ReadMore/6309
Banawan, R. C., & Suan, A. F. (2025). Student institutional loyalty: A structural model based on Astin’s theory of student involvement. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(06), 5595–5603.
Bernardino, J. I., Fernandez, A., Molera, W., Mensenares, M. M., & Simbulan, M. C. (2024). Understanding students’ attrition behavior in a Philippine private higher education institution: Basis for an intervention plan. iCONNECT Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 1(2), 1–1.
BusinessMirror. (2025, February 22). Rep. Go urges CHED to act on high dropout rates in college. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/02/22/rep-go-urges-ched-to-act-on-high-dropout-rates-in-college/
Cagape, P., & Prado, N. (2025). Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation: Its impact on the quality of higher education program. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 35(3), 296–308.
Chao, R. Y., Jr. (2021). Higher education in the Philippines. In International handbook on education in South East Asia (pp. 1–28). Springer Singapore.
Chi, C. (2023, August 23). Pandemic doubled attrition rate of college students — CHED data. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/08/23/2290834/pandemic-doubled-attrition-rate-college-students-ched-data
Commission on Higher Education. (2012). CHED Memorandum Order (CO) 46 s. 2012. Policy-Standard to Enhance Quality Assurance (QA) in Philippine Higher Education through an Outcomes-Based and Typology-Based QA. https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/CMO-No.46-s2012.pdf
Commission on Higher Education. (2023). CHED Memorandum Order (CO) 6 s. 2023. Policies and Guidelines for the Grant of Autonomous and Deregulated Status to Private Higher Education Institutions. https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CMO-No.-06-S.-2023.pdf
Devi, A. A. D. T., & Yasa, N. N. K. (2021). The role of customer satisfaction in mediating the influence of service quality and perceived value on brand loyalty. International Research Journal of Management, IT and Social Sciences, 8(3), 315–328.
Dipasupil, R. (2025, February 14). Can free tuition be improved high college enrollment but still high dropout rate in college since free tuition law. The Philippine Collegian. https://phkule.org/article/1395/high-enrollment-but-still-high-dropout-rate-in-college-since-free-tuition-law-report-finds
EDCOM 2. (2025). Go urges CHED to address high dropout rates in college. https://edcom2.gov.ph/go-urges-ched-to-address-high-dropout-rates-in-college/
Gonzales, I. (2025, February 6). Filipino students are dropping out of college. The Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2025/02/06/2419482/filipino-students-are-dropping-out-college
Gunarto, M., & Hurriyati, R. (2020). Creating experience value to build student satisfaction in higher education. arXiv preprint arXiv:2006.09846.
Gunzler, D., Chen, T., Wu, P., & Zhang, H. (2013). Introduction to mediation analysis with structural equation modeling. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 25(6), 390–394.
Hai, N. C. (2022). Factors affecting student satisfaction with higher education service quality in Vietnam. European Journal of Educational Research, 11(1), 339–351.
House of Representatives. (2025). Romualdez: Nearly 4 in 10 students still drop out, time to strengthen free college education law. https://congress.gov.ph/media/press-releases/view/?content=9405&title=Romualdez%3A+Nearly+4+in+10+students+still+drop+out%2C+time+to+strengthen+free+college+education+law
Isilebo, N. C., Afangideh, S. T., & Oluwuo, S. O. (2024). Strategic educational services management and its influence on student satisfaction and loyalty in public universities in Rivers State. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(12), 876–891.
Iskandar, A. S., Wirawan, H., & Salam, R. (2024). Students’ perceived value in higher education institutions: Investigating the role of antecedents and context. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2313789.
Lacap, J. P. G., & Cortez, J. V. (2023). Does reputation lead to student loyalty? The case of a private higher education institution, a state university, and a local college. The South East Asian Journal of Management, 17(2), 221–248.
Lyceum of the Philippines University - Batangas Campus. (2024). PACUCOA honors LPU-Batangas with top accreditations. https://lpubatangas.edu.ph/pacucoa-honors-lpu-batangas-with-top-accreditations/
Misamis University. (2025). Misamis University earns prestigious PACUCOA recognition for outstanding accreditation achievements. https://mu.edu.ph/news_updates/Misamis-University-Earns-Prestigious-PACUCOA-Recognition-for-Outstanding-Accreditation-Achievements
Pardiñan, E. G., Bondad, R. M., & Mangubat, J. C. (2025). Key informants’ perception on records digitization and a web-based technology platform for accreditation of Philippine State Universities and Colleges. Education and Information Technologies, 30(8), 11127–11150.
Prado, R. (2025). Evaluation of the quality assurance practices of the college of education programs of a Philippine local university. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3(10), 83–100.
Qiu, Y., García-Aracil, A., & Isusi-Fagoaga, R. (2024). Internationalization of higher education in China with Spain: Challenges and complexities. Education Sciences, 14(7), 799.
Quiachon, L. Y., Yngson, R. S., Jr., & Paulino, M. A. (2025). The role of e-service quality in shaping students' satisfaction in the pandemic context. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 14(3), 548–561.
Rahman, M. M., & Nasrin, S. (2024). Perceived service quality at higher education institutions: A study on the success factors of total quality management practices in Bangladesh. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 100997.
Reganit, J. C. (2025, July 23). Review of free college law urged amid high dropout rates in SUCs. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1254960
Rizos, S., Sfakianaki, E., & Kakouris, A. (2022). Quality of administrative services in higher education. European Journal of Educational Management, 5(2), 115–128.
Robiños, J. R., & Alcazaren, H. K. (2023). Internationalization towards fostering a school culture of quality: Practices and perceived impact. Philippine Journal of Education Studies, 1(1), 85–109.
Sinsay-Villanueva, L. M. V., Garcia, G. D. V., Lim, V. L., Tanyag, I. H., Berroya, J., Orbeta, A. C., & Rivera, J. P. R. (2025). Quality education starting with teacher education (No. 2025-04). PIDS Discussion Paper Series. https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/document/pidsdps2504.pdf
Stankovska, G., Ziberi, F., & Dimitrovski, D. (2024). Service quality and student satisfaction in higher education. In Proceedings of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (pp. 245–250). Bulgarian Comparative Education Society.
Surya Bahadur, G. C., Gurung, S. K., Poudel, R. L., Yadav, U. S., Bhattacharjee, A., & Dhungana, B. R. (2024). The effect of higher education service quality on satisfaction among business students in India and Nepal. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2393521.
Susilawati, E., Khaira, I., & Pratama, I. (2021). Antecedents to student loyalty in Indonesian higher education institutions: The mediating role of technology innovation. Kuram ve Uygulamada Egitim Bilimleri, 21(3), 40–56.
Taecharungroj, V. (2014). University student loyalty model: Structural equation modelling of student loyalty in autonomous, state, transformed, and private universities in Bangkok. Scholar, 6(1), 66–77.
Teeroovengadum, V., Nunkoo, R., Gronroos, C., Kamalanabhan, T. J., & Seebaluck, A. K. (2019). Higher education service quality, student satisfaction and loyalty: Validating the HESQUAL scale and testing an improved structural model. Quality Assurance in Education, 27(4), 427–445.
Tessema, D. H., Yesilada, F., Aghaei, I., & Ahmed, J. N. (2025). Influence of perceived service quality on word-of-mouth: The mediating role of brand trust and student satisfaction. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(6), 2293–2306.
University of Baguio. (2025). Upholding academic excellence: UB successfully completes reaccreditation and preliminary visits from PACUCOA. https://stela.ubaguio.edu/2025/06/19/upholding-academic-excellence-ub-successfully-completes-reaccreditation-and-preliminary-visits-from-pacucoa/
University of Santo Tomas. (2020). UST leads Philippine universities in terms of PACUCOA accredited programs. https://www.ust.edu.ph/ust-leads-philippine-universities-in-terms-of-pacucoa-accredited-programs/
Zhao, S., Phawitpiriyakliti, C., & Terason, S. (2023). Curriculum quality, process innovation, school reputation, and perceived value affecting the loyalty of Chinese higher education students in Thailand. Migration Letters, 20(S7), 1304–1325.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Jose Ma. Gonzales, Melchor Bombeo, Josefina Ortega, Joan Mae Espinosa, Bryan Alberto, Jose Rosener Guyano, Raymond Libongcogon, John Vianne Murcia (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.