Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to verify and estimate the impact of the antecedents of Programme satisfaction and to explore its link with student loyalty in the higher education (HE) sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach -A Programme Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) was developed, based on the National Student Survey (NSS), which surveyed 187 graduates at a British university based in the UAE. Cronbach alpha tests were conducted to test the reliability of the variables and correlation and regression analysis were used to estimate the relationship and significance of the variables. Findings -Teaching quality and variables directly associated with the students' programme of study had the most significant impact on student satisfaction; thus emphasizing the need for recruitment and development of high quality academic faculty members. Academic feedback, library and IT resources did not have a significant impact. The link between Programme satisfaction and satisfaction with non-academic services and facilities had a positive impact on student loyalty. Research limitations/implications -In the competitive UAE HE sector, it is important to identify the antecedents and their variable impact on student satisfaction with their programme and its impact on loyalty. A comparison of results of the PEQ across a number of years and across other universities within the UAE, would help validate the results obtained in this paper. Originality/value -Studies of this kind, whilst in their infancy within the UAE context, are important given the UAE HE market is attracting more entrants and becoming very competitive. The results may provide valuable insights for universities in developing appropriate strategies to improve student satisfaction and thus enhance their competitiveness.

The relationship between class attendance and academic performance has been an important area of research, with a positive association being posited between the two. The setting for our study is an International Branch Campus (IBC) of a British university that needs to demonstrate the quality of its service delivery both to the parent institution and to the fee-paying students. We employ a dataset of over 900 students in an undergraduate degree programme and subject it to statistical techniques, namely quantile regression and two-stage quantile regression. Our results show that attendance has a beneficial influence on academic performance and this benefit persists at higher percentile of grades. We propose that IBCs could consider an attendance policy that encourages students to attend classes.

Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author's name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pagination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award.