The Influence of Students' Perceptions and Beliefs on Their Decision to Open an Account at an Indonesian Sharia Bank: A Study of Students in the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Education at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra

The growth of Islamic banking in Indonesia highlights the importance of understanding students’ decisions to use financial services that comply with Sharia principles. However, favorable perceptions and institutional trust do not necessarily translate into account ownership. This study examined the influence of students’ perceptions and trust on their decisions to open accounts at Bank Syariah Indonesia among students at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra. A quantitative descriptive-associative survey design was employed using purposive sampling and a questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Of the 137 respondents, 98 existing account holders met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression in SPSS Statistics 25, supported by validity, reliability, and classical assumption tests. The results showed that perceptions and trust had positive and statistically significant effects on account-opening decisions, with regression coefficients of 0.447 and 0.435, respectively, and p < 0.001 for both variables. The overall regression model was statistically significant and explained 50.4% of the variance in account-opening decisions. These findings suggest that service convenience, transparency, security, institutional credibility, and Sharia compliance are important considerations in students’ banking decisions. The study concludes that improving service quality and strengthening institutional trust may encourage student engagement with Islamic banking, while campus-based financial literacy initiatives could support more informed decisions regarding the use of banking services.