An Exploration of the Influence of Having International Family on Higher Education Reputation and Loyalty

We use a mixed-methodology to examine the influence of having international family on higher education (HE) reputation and loyalty. Employing qualitative research, we hypothesize that having family members in the international country where an international student plans to pursue higher education is a key source of information that activates not only awareness and positive associations of universities but also a social identity which in turn affects HE reputation and loyalty. We test our hypotheses using survey responses from international students of a HE institution based in Alberta, Canada. Our structural equation modeling results point to the significant role of having international family—relative to marketing activities—for building HE reputation and in turn for affecting HE loyalty. Our findings contribute to the literature on organizational reputation in an international context with an enhanced understanding of the determinants of HE reputation and insights into the psychological and social processes of reputation formation. This research has also implications for university international officers and HE marketers to help with attracting international students.