7 st International Seminar of Research Month 2022 Volume 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.11594/nstp.2023.33104 How to cite: Raharjo, R. J. H., Warmana, G. O., Yunnafisah, A. Z., & Firdaus, A. B. (2023). Student consumerism attitudes towards higher education. 7 st International Seminar of Research Month 2022. NST Proceedings. pages 643-651. doi: 10.11594/ nstp.2023.33104 Conference Paper Student Consumerism Attitudes towards Higher Education Raden Johnny Hadi Raharjo*, G. Oka Warmana, Anandya Zalva Yunnafisah, Andrew Baihaqi Firdaus Faculty of Economics and Business, University Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jawa Timur, Surabaya 60294, Indonesia *Corresponding author: ABSTRACT Contemporary society contends that consumption is the backbone of our way of life. It is not solely an indicator of an individual or group's social standing, but also functions as a means of addressing issues, creating significance in our surroundings, and even developing personal identities. The ubiquitous influence of consumerism has broadened the definition of commodities to include non-tangible services. When services become commodities, providers tend to prioritize consumer service-oriented activities to attract and retain clients driven by market ideology. This model has been adopted by higher education institutions, such as universities, resulting in consumerist behavior by students seeking educational products and services. Therefore, this study aims to examine student consumerist behavior. A quantitative methodology was employed, and the sample consisted of 500 respondents. The survey revealed that students exhibit consumerist tendencies regarding the educational services offered by universities. Consumerism is linked to lecturer expectations, job readiness, and grades, but not student accountability. Keywords: Student consumerism, consumer value, higher education E-mail: raden.johnny.ma@upnjatim.ac.id Introduction According to contemporary society, consumption plays a crucial role in our way of life. It serves not only as an indicator of an individual or group's social status, as described by Dubois and Ordabayeva (2015), but also as a means of problem-solving, constructing meaning in our surroundings, and even forming personal identities, as noted by Kotler et al. (2020). The widespread influence of consumerism has broadened the definition of commodities to include non-tangible services. When services are treated as commodities, providers tend to prioritize consumer service-related activities to attract and retain customers influenced by market ideology. Higher education institutions or universities are not resistant to market ideology, this is due to the high market demand for education and science, where someone must enter and develop an industry, it creates competition in providing the latest science and research, which is appropriate with industrial needs, in other words, university operations and development are strongly influ- enced by market mechanisms (Weisbrod et al., 2008). In its journey to meet market demands, universities need huge funds to provide quality educators, support infrastructure, and continu- ously conduct research in developing the latest knowledge, so universities need external funding, which shows the product of market power (McClure, 2014). Where the proportion of university funding sources is more than high school students who hope to continue to college, and the high rate of privatization of universities that were initially non- As McClure (2017) posits, the education system has evolved to become more profit-oriented, competitive, and directly influenced by capitalist forces. This shift has prompted questions about the consumerist behavior of students, particularly in public education. Education, which used to prioritize the development of democratic citizens and prepare them for various employment roles, is now viewed more as a