The primary objectives of this exploratory paper are to test the concept
of market orientation adapted from related literature in the education
context and to examine the effects of market orientation as a
second-order factor on university student satisfaction. The revised
scale, validated through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory
factor analysis, constitutes a good fit. Specifically, the new scale is
statistically and positively related with student satisfaction,
indicating that market orientation is an important factor that leads to
higher student satisfaction. The findings show that the degree to which
students are satisfied with their choice of university depends
significantly on how market oriented the university is. In other words,
the effective application of market orientation strategy relates to
student satisfaction and to the decisions they make when selecting a
university. To that end, market orientation is an option for
universities to adopt. The empirical results add to the meager and
emerging literature on marketing and branding of universities and will
be of interest of university administrators and marketing and branding
managers of universities.