PurposeIn Tunisia there are 23 business schools, five of which are at the University of Sfax. There are no data in the Tunisian higher education literature regarding the difference between these schools, especially in terms of their performance. The aim of this study is to carry out a first‐hand assessment of the teaching process and form an idea about higher education quality in these schools.Design/methodology/approachIn order to achieve such an objective a survey is conducted on students’ perception of their learning experience. The data are collected through a questionnaire administered to samples of students from the different business schools at the University of Sfax.FindingsThe assessment investigation reveals some strengths, such as students’ satisfaction about the knowledge they are acquiring. However, there are several weaknesses including the sceptical attitude of the respondents towards the contents of the courses they are taking and the way they are being evaluated. The findings lead to two main conclusions. First, a culture of self‐assessment is needed in higher education institutions in order to improve the teaching process. Second, higher education institutions need to be more process‐oriented.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work investigating students’ perception of their learning experience in Tunisia.