La importancia de la calidad en la universidad pública. La percepción del estudiante en la Universidad Autónoma del Carmen

Public policies that liberalized education in Mexico have intensified competition between educational institutions. Higher education must be recognized as a service industry whose objective is to meet customer needs; especially in regions with a strong economic dynamism such as the municipality of Carmen, Campeche. The objective of the article was to determine the students' perception of the quality of service of the Autonomous University of Carmen and the factors that determine these perceptions. To determine the quality of the service, a questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL model was applied. To analyze the factors that affect students' perceptions and expectations, multiple regression models were estimated using the Ordinary Minimum Square method. The results show a difficulty of the institution to exceed the expectations of the students. In a city with a strong economic dynamism and high income, the time of permanence of the students and their level of income determine their perception of the quality of services offered by the university. Student perceptions may improve as university staff provide better service. It is concluded that the university must focus its administrative policy on satisfying the needs of the student to reduce the decrease and improve terminal efficiency.