Alumni loyalty drivers in higher education

Alumni can be of enormous value for higher education institutions because of the time and money they can spend on their former institution. Going beyond prior research that has as yet mostly considered alumni giving, this study focuses on exploring drivers for non-monetary alumni behavior (i.e., alumni loyalty). Modeling analysis was conducted on 152 alumni responses from two Dutch universities of applied sciences. Based on social exchange theory, a structural equation model was tested in which relationship quality dimensions were associated with student engagement, which in turn were related to alumni loyalty. Findings showed that the relationship quality dimensions of trust in benevolence and affective commitment had a statistically significant positive association with the student engagement dimensions absorption, dedication and vigor, and with alumni loyalty. The findings of this study support the importance of relationship quality dimensions in higher education for initiating long-lasting relationships with students even after their graduation, and for establishing non-monetary contributions in terms of alumni loyalty.