Empirical insights on quality education adoption and institutional loyalty

The global education sector plays a pivotal role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in fostering inclusive and quality education for all. This study aims to investigate how adopting SDG-4 influences students’ perceptions and fosters institutional loyalty in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Punjab, India. The study contributes to the understanding of how SDG-4 adoption shapes students’ views on education quality and institutional engagement. Grounded in the stimulus, organism, response (S-O-R) framework, the study uses a quantitative survey-based approach and applies structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyze data from 302 students across various HEIs. The results indicate that SDG-4 adoption significantly improves students’ perceptions of instructor effectiveness, community involvement, and digital trust, which in turn foster institutional loyalty, although affordability shows no significant effect. The study redefines institutional loyalty drivers, emphasizing instructor effectiveness and digital trust over affordability, and underscores the importance of robust digital learning environments and strong HEI community partnerships.