Date of Award

10-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Department

School of Business

First Advisor

Paul Shelton

Second Advisor

Justine Haigh

Third Advisor

Jim Thomas

Abstract

Christian higher education administrators battle with how much to increase tuition on a consistent basis. One of the concerns with increasing tuition is the negative effect it will have on their prospective student market. The literature review was used to establish an understanding of the price-quality (PQ) relationship and its role in higher education, identify gaps in the research, and provide a context for the current study. The summary of the literature review is comprised of main points of interest through the previous sections and shows a need for further exploration into how the PQ relationship affects Christian higher education. A discussion of how the literature is used to engage the process of raising tuition helps the reader comprehend the higher education environment and culture. Budgetary needs, market positioning, new student enrollment and retention are only part of the discussion when trying to decide where to set tuition prices for the following year. Ensuring that institution leaders establish their value statement in the minds of students and parents becomes a crucial aspect of pricing in Christian higher education. Quality perception and rising tuition costs continue to influence decisions on campuses across the United States. The current study was used to discover the relationship between price and quality perception (represented as 20 dependent variables related to higher education) of 8 Christian institutions that are members or affiliates of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Correlations (to gauge the strength of the variables), descriptive statistics, and multiple regressions (to form predictability measures from the historical data) were used. The current study showed significant findings regarding how price (tuition and fees) correlates with changes in enrollment figures, retention, financial aid, alumni financial involvement, class sizes, student-tofaculty ratios, and acceptance rates.

Download

Share

COinS