Jasa Akademik Online di Era Digital: Analisis Peluang E-Business dan Dampaknya Bagi Etika Mahasiswa UINSU

This study analyzes the rise of online academic services as an emerging e-business phenomenon and its ethical implications for students of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra (UINSU). The research aims to identify the driving factors behind the use of academic services, explore their potential as a form of digital entrepreneurship, and assess their impact on students’ academic integrity. Using a qualitative descriptive method, data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations of twenty FEBI students who have used or provided online academic assistance. The findings reveal that limited time, academic workload, and easy access to digital platforms are the main motivations for using such services, particularly among students who perceive digital outsourcing as a practical solution to academic pressure. From an e-business perspective, online academic services offer new economic opportunities for ethical knowledge-based entrepreneurship; however, they also pose moral challenges related to honesty, responsibility, and fairness in Islamic ethics, especially when academic outsourcing leads to plagiarism, misrepresentation of learning outcomes, or unjust academic advantage. The study concludes that digital transformation in higher education requires the integration of digital ethics and academic integrity into institutional policies and curricula to ensure that e-business innovation supports, rather than undermines, Islamic academic values. Furthermore, this phenomenon signals a broader cultural shift toward efficiency-centered learning behaviors, making it necessary for universities to strengthen ethical literacy, clarify institutional boundaries regarding academic support, and cultivate student awareness of responsible engagement with digital assistance so that entrepreneurship, academic skill development, and Islamic ethical commitments remain aligned in a rapidly evolving educational environment.