International Journal of Research and Review Vol. 10; Issue: 2; February 2023 Website: www.ijrrjournal.com Research Paper E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 502 Volume 10; Issue: 2; February 2023 The Effect of Brand Identity and Brand Equity Is Mediated by Brand Trust on Interest in Studying at the LP3I Polytechnic, Medan Hidayah Yoanna Putri 1 , Amrin Fauzi 2 , Yeni Absah 3 1,2,3 Master of Management Science Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Sumatera Utara, North Sumatra, Indonesia Corresponding Author: Hidayah Yoanna Putri DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230259 ABSTRACT This study aims to determine the effect of brand identity and brand equity, mediated by brand trust, on interest in choosing to study at the Medan LP3I Polytechnic. The type of research is quantitative associative research, and the data analysis techniques used are descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling analysis. The population and sample in this study were 180 high school alumni, with the sampling technique using accidental sampling. The results of this study state that brand identity has a positive and significant effect on interest in studying in college; brand equity has a positive and significant effect on interest in studying; brand trust has a positive and significant effect on interest in studying; brand trust is able to mediate positively and significantly between the effect of brand identity on interest in studying; and brand trust is able to mediate positively and significantly between the effect of brand equity on interest in studying. Keywords: Brand Identity, Brand Equity, Brand Trust, Interest in Studying. INTRODUCTION Higher education as an industry in the sphere of private education must now prioritize student and alumni satisfaction in order to remain competitive in the midst of increasing competition. As an increasing number of institutions provide facilities, benefits, and prices that are relevant to customers, consumers will have more options. In order for brands and products to be accepted and trusted by customers, it is possible to undertake effective brand management. Private universities or institutions are becoming more aware that brands are an essential competitive aspect and a valuable business asset. The brand is considered to have identity and equity and to be trustworthy, taking into account that the customer will first learn about it through the media or from other customers before utilizing the product. According to Ayuningtyas (2015: 5), "brand identity" relates to the identity and message that a brand wishes to express to customers; therefore, a firm delivers a message to its consumers in the form of "brand identity" or "brand personality." According to Schiffman and Kanuk in the Dharmayana (2017: 2021), brand equity is the value a well-known brand has. From a customer standpoint, brand equity is the extra value offered to products by brands. Then, according to Delgado in Hendrajati (2016: 17), "brand trust" is a sense of security that customers experience as a consequence of their engagement with a brand and is based on the idea that the company is dependable and accountable for the consumers' interests and safety.