Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the dilemmas that challenge reputation management in the context of higher education (HE).

Design/methodology/approach – The paper introduces one Finnish multidisciplinary master's degree programme as a case in point. The empirical data comprises a student survey and semi-structured interviews with internal and external stakeholders whose work relates to the master's degree programme in question.

Findings – The findings identify different types of dilemmas arising from collaboration between stakeholders of HE.

Practical implications – The paper demonstrates how the dilemma-reconciliation method can be used to enhance reputation management in HE.

Originality/value – The novelty of the paper is in applying dilemma theory (Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars, 2000) in parallel with reputation theories. Dilemma theory attributes reputation risks to conflicting aims.