Factors Shaping School Fees Payment Preferences Among Students in a Cebu-Based Private Higher Educational Institution

This study examined school-fee payment preferences among students in a Cebu-based private higher educational institution using secondary administrative payment data. A quantitative, non-experimental, comparative design was employed using 690 complete paired observations. The analysis compared online/off-site and on-site payment channels in terms of the number of payments and monetary amount. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize payment behavior, while the Shapiro–Wilk test assessed the normality of paired difference scores. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used as the principal inferential procedure, supplemented by paired-samples t-tests and Pearson correlation analysis. The findings showed a statistically significant difference between online/off-site and on-site payment frequency, with online/off-site payments occurring more frequently on average. However, no statistically significant difference was found in the monetary amounts associated with the two payment channels. Correlation analysis indicated strong positive relationships between payment frequency and monetary amount within each channel, while cross-channel relationships were generally negative but relatively weak. The findings suggest that online/off-site payment had greater observed utilization but did not demonstrate a corresponding difference in monetary value. The Push–Pull–Mooring framework provides a theoretical lens for interpreting the coexistence and partial substitution of established and alternative payment channels, although its constituent factors were not directly measured. The study highlights the value of administrative payment records in examining revealed payment preferences and informs higher education institutions managing multiple school-fee payment channels.