Word of Mouth Dominance in the Growth of Bunga Bangsa Islamic University Cirebon: Factor Analysis and Dynamics for the Period 2013–2025

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of Customer-Owned Loyalty, Scholarships and Academic Support, and Adaptive Selling and Personal Promotion on Word of Mouth (WOM) in the growth of Universitas Islam Bunga Bangsa Cirebon (UIBBC). The research employed a quantitative associative approach involving 120 respondents consisting of students, alumni, and prospective students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results show that all independent variables have a positive and significant effect on WOM. Customer-Owned Loyalty has the most dominant influence (β = 0.348; Sig. 0.000), followed by Scholarships and Academic Support (β = 0.297; Sig. 0.001), and Adaptive Selling and Personal Promotion (β = 0.254; Sig. 0.003). The R² value of 0.782 indicates that the model has a strong explanatory power in predicting WOM. The findings confirm that UIBBC’s student growth is primarily driven by interpersonal communication and internal loyalty rather than formal promotion. Practically, the study recommends strengthening community-based educational marketing strategies that emphasize Islamic values and student loyalty