Quest Journals Journal of Research in Business and Management Volume 9 ~ Issue 12 (2021) pp: 35-46 ISSN(Online):2347-3002 www.questjournals.org *Corresponding Author: Imam Suprapta 35| Page Research Paper Mediation of Satisfaction in Service Quality and Trust In Students’ Loyalty: Empirical Evidence From PTM Indonesia Imam Suprapta 1 , Moch Rizal 2* , Lela Nurlaela Wati 3 , Rita Yuni Mulyanti 4 , Aulia Kusumastuti 5 1-5 Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIE) Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Jl. Minangkabau No. 60 Jakarta Selatan 12650, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia ABSTRACT: This study aimed to determine the effect of service quality and trust on customer satisfaction and their impact on their loyalty at of Perguruan Tinggi Muhammadiyah Indonesia. This study involved 230 active students of Perguruan Tinggi Muhammadiyah (PTM) as samples, and the selection was determined based on probability sampling techniques with the proportional method. Meanwhile, the data were analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) method. The study results revealed that service quality positively affects customer satisfaction, while trust has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. Service quality has a positive and significant effect on the student’s loyalty, whereas customer satisfaction positively and significantly affects the student’s loyalty. Furthermore, service quality has a positive and significant effect on loyalty through customer’s satisfaction and trust has a positive and significant effect on loyalty through customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, trust has a negative and insignificant effect on the student’s loyalty at PTM College. Based on these results, the variables that greatly affect students’ loyalty at PTM College are service quality and customer satisfaction. It concludes that improving students satisfaction will enhance their loyalty to PTM College. KEYWORDS: service quality, trust, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty Received 20 Dec, 2021; Revised 28 Dec, 2021; Accepted 31 Dec, 2021 © The author(s) 2021. Published with open access at www.questjournals.org I. INTRODUCTION Loyalty is expected behavior associated with a product or service, described as an attitude that shows the desire to stay or remain in the bond of an emotionally formed relationship. There will be high customer loyalty when a product or service is considered capable of providing the customers' highest satisfaction, making them reluctant to switch to other products. Customer loyalty is shown through repeat purchases the customers make because of a commitment to a product or brand from the company (Kottler, 2007). Indeed, loyal customers are beneficial for the company and function as marketers who can recommend the company’s products to those closest to them or to people seeking information. Service users' loyalty will provide positive feedback to the service providers, such as recommending it to family, colleagues, and other colleagues. Meanwhile, customer loyalty in the educational world is closely related to student loyalty, which is an essential aspect of higher educational institutions' existence. Highly loyal students are the higher educational institution’s assets because they will provide positive recommendations and encourage friends, relatives, and other communities to use the educational services they have experienced with. If a tertiary institution provides a higher degree of educational service, loyal students will be more likely to return to study at the same tertiary institution. Students who feel their expectations can be fulfilled will feel satisfied and have a positive perception of educational services' quality. This positive perception forms a sense of satisfaction, impacting student loyalty, resulting in their willingness to provide recommendations to others. Concerning student loyalty, Daryanto et al. (2014) found that service quality and satisfaction significantly affect student loyalty, but trust does not. It is not influenced by service quality, instead of student satisfaction, while service quality affects student satisfaction. This finding is supported by Saoud and Sanseu (2019), who argued that students' satisfaction could explain their loyalty to higher education. Srivastava et al. (2015) through a literature study, Ahmed et al. (2014), Gull and Bricci et al. (2016) in the distribution sector, Mohsan et al. (2011), Martha et al. (2018), Odunlami and Matthew (2015) in the banking sector, Awan and