Alumni Loyalty: Systematic Literature Review

The term alumni loyalty (AL) is widely used by scientists in various disciplines and particularly often in discussions of the key factors influencing alumni contributions. However, research in this field varies considerably in its assumptions and methods and contains contradictory findings. Additionally, there is no consistent definition of AL. This situation makes it difficult for the university administration to see the overall picture or to evaluate which results are most reliable and should be used as the basis for practice and policy decisions. A systematic literature review (SLR) would address these problems by identifying, meticulously evaluating, and integrating findings of the relevant studies. To date, no SLR has been undertaken in the field of alumni loyalty. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, the paper conducts an SLR in this research area. Second, the study provides a more comprehensive definition of alumni loyalty. The research identified 102 relevant articles and classified them according to seven theoretical approaches: microeconomics, charitable giving, management, relationship marketing, educational science, services marketing, and the integrative approach, which combines the above disciplines. Having determined four primary aspects of AL (behavioral, attitudinal, material and nonmaterial), the paper derives four quadrants of AL definitions and assigns each publication to one or two of them. Following this step, the overall picture and definition of AL were derived. The findings can be used by academics as a framework to position new research activities appropriately and by practitioners as a roadmap to enhance AL rate.