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The issue of quality is now a significant theme in higher education management. This paper examines the issue of quality as determined by Australian and international students. A scale comprising 26 quality variables was developed, verified and tested on a cohort of 351 students. Four factors were found and used to test a series of hypotheses and research questions. Results indicated a hierarchy amongst the factors and that academic instruction was the most critical aspect. There were significant differences between international and Australian students' perceptions. It was also found that quality perceptions were stable over the years of study. The implications for university management are discussed.

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Australia is rapidly moving into the globally competitive higher education market. As a consequence the issue of consumer satisfaction and quality is emerging as an area of interest. This paper focuses on the issue of student understandings of quality by developing a consumer derived scale which identifies the quality variables related to student perceptions with the university experience. The scale was derived from focus groups, in-depth interviews and through an examination of the literature. The scale was tested and refined on a cohort of 351 Australian and Singaporean/Hong Kong students studying business subjects at an Australian University. The refined scale comprised 25 quality variables which factored into four orthogonal components. The mean values of the variables and factors were examined to make inferences about how educational marketing practitioners can be assisted.