Abstract
Trust decreases the perceived risk of using a service. Since e-learners have no direct contact with the education providers, trust plays an important role in an e-tertiary setting. In a review of the literature, hypotheses are developed that suggest that the antecedent of brand trust in e-tertiary education is related to institutional and courseware design assurance factors, site quality and public awareness. A conceptual model summarizing the hypotheses is subsequently validated in an empirical study.