Despite the large number of studies about competences in higher education, several important gaps in research can be identified. The present paper aims to fill two of these gaps by analysing the influence of generic-academic competences on individuals' satisfaction with the learning experience, and of this satisfaction on their loyalty to their higher education institution. Loyalty is measured through two components: intentions of recommending the higher education institution, that is, word of mouth (WOM) communication and confirmation of past behaviour. Moreover, two key actors in the learning process -current students and ex-students- have been analysed. Partial Least Squares (PLS) are used to analyse the structural model and to test possible differences between groups. The findings demonstrate that satisfaction is a fundamental mediator between generic-academic competences and loyalty. Institutions have to reinforce generic-academic competences, focusing both on current students and ex-students to obtain loyal customers.