With the globalisation of the higher education industry, service quality in the higher education services is seen as a vital factor in determining a university's competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to extend current conceptualisation of quality research in higher education by investigating the influence of self-determination and outcome valence in the form of students' feelings towards their academic result, on university service quality (USQ) evaluation. The results highlighted that students who feel good about their academic results are more self-determined and perceive a more favourable USQ experience than others. On the basis of the research findings, this study suggests that the effect of motivational differences and academic outcome valence on USQ evaluation should be taken into account when considering how students' USQ perception is formed. These pertinent issues deserve considerable attention as they have a bearing on important outcomes such as student satisfaction and staff performance appraisal.