The higher education and loyalty: a strategic tool to the retaining of clients

Abstract

With the expansion of the higher education in Brazil, the dropout phenomenon has reached a high-level concern among the university managers. In this study, are presented the theoretical bases of the element loyalty, prominence in the management area, in terms of maintenance of the relationship with the customers, applying it to the higher education environment. The characteristics of the student’s loyalty towards the institutions of higher education (known in Portuguese as IES, Instituições de Ensino Superior) are presented and deined, leading to managerial implications that can be relected in the universities and colleges that aim to increase the students’ retention levels.