Successful institutions focus on the needs of their students and strive to improve the quality of the educational experience. Student satisfaction assessments are one of the preeminent ways to measure how effectively institutions are meeting the expectations of students. Private, selective institutions (PSIs) have rarely been studied in terms of student satisfaction, yet there are tremendous benefits to better understanding this classification of colleges and universities. Research has shown that the more selective the institution, the higher the expectations of its students (Low, 2000). The current study sought to develop a descriptive profile of student satisfaction at a private, highly selective, research university, as measured by the nine scales on the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI). This research identified the variables that resulted in the largest and smallest performance gap scores; and if there were differences in student satisfaction ratings based on the demographic, independent variables of gender, ethnicity, and class level. Results from this study showed that the PSI was meeting student expectations in the areas of Campus Services, Safety and Security, and Campus Climate, but underachieving in the areas of Registration Effectiveness, Academic Advising Effectiveness, and Instructional Effectiveness. It was also determined that class level had an effect on Campus Life; ethnicity had an effect on Recruitment and Financial Aid Effectiveness; gender had an effect on Academic Advising Effectiveness; gender, ethnicity, and class level each had an effect on Registration Effectiveness; and gender and class level had an effect on Safety and Security. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]