The purpose of this paper is to discuss student satisfaction with Portuguese higher education institutions, and to analyse how this varies for different types of students. A survey instrument was used to collect data on students' perceptions and expectations regarding different aspects of service provision. Based on the gap model of satisfaction, satisfaction indices were calculated for all items considered and were checked for their statistical significance. Although, generically speaking, students' perceptions and expectations are high, the satisfaction indices are all negative and statistically different from zero. Furthermore, significant differences of satisfaction regarding some aspects of service provision were found between different groups of students. This study may contribute to institutions improving the quality of services they provide. Furthermore, this study will contribute to improving the quality of higher education institutions through correcting mistakes and designing better processes, provided that the information collected through student satisfaction surveys has been treated adequately.