University graduates’ segmentation: determinant factors

Abstract

The opinions of students constitute valuable information to be taken into account in university management. In this study, university satisfaction is analyzed, by means of a proxy variable (intention to repeat the same university course) following a holistic approach that analyses its relation with socio-demographic characteristics of the university, university experience, and information on postgraduates and their employment situation. Data from the Instituto de Estadistica Nacional de España (National Institute of Statistics of Spain) are employed, with a sample of over 30,000 graduates. Graduate satisfaction profiles are identified using the classification tree technique, as are the variables with greater discriminatory power that explain the intention of a student to repeat the same university course (employment situation, geographical zone, scientific discipline, and scholarships, particularly Erasmus grants); as well as the segments of university graduates. The information leads us to present recommendations for taking decisions in the field of education, general policy, territorial policy, and the management of each university.